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Tommy Manzo, the ex-husband of RHONJ OG Dina Manzo, has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of hiring a mobster to attack Dina’s new husband.
According to Page Six, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced on Tuesday, October 15th that Thomas “Tommy” Manzo was sentenced to “84 months in prison for hiring, then assisting, a soldier in the Lucchese Crime Family to assault his ex-wife’s current husband.”
In addition to prison time, Tommy was to three years of supervised release.
“Whether you’re actually in the Mafia or not, hiring the mob to assault someone because of your marital problems is abhorrent,” US Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said in a statement. “Covering up the role you played only makes it worse. The jury’s verdict, and today’s sentence, make clear that this office will spare no resources to hold accountable anyone who commits such crimes.”
Dina Manzo has yet to directly address Tommy’s conviction but released a statement via Instagram on Wednesday noting that she’s experiencing “so many emotions” and will “eventually speak on it.”
The RHONJ alum shared, “So many layers…so much emotion. I’m leaning into all of it. Eventually I will speak on it, every bit of it. As I know we humans ultimately are here to serve and assist others with their pain and suffering. Lots and lots of forgiveness of self and others right now. Lots of exploration and self reflection. Lots of self control to not send the text or make the call.”
She added, “Human school blows sometimes. If you’re going through it. Know you are not alone…it’s just the cosmos doing their thing.”
In June, Thomas “Tommy” Manzo was found guilty by a federal grand jury for “conspiracy, falsifying and concealing documents and committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity” after he hired Lucchese crime family member John Perna to rough up Dave Cantin, the then-boyfriend of his ex-wife, Dina Manzo, in 2015.
In return for completing the attack, Tommy promised Perna a deeply discounted wedding at The Brownstone in Paterson, NJ, a venue that he owns with his brother Albert Manzo
In July 2015, Perna and an associate attacked Cantin and roughed him up with a slapjack in the parking lot of a North Jersey strip mall. The attack left Cantin battered and scarred, according to court papers.
Five years later, Tommy and Perna were arrested and incited for their crimes. Perna pleaded guilty to “committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity.” He was sentenced to almost three years and was released in August 2023.
However, Tommy’s case has taken a much longer and rockier road. After the case against Tommy had endured many stops and starts, the government dismissed the charges without prejudice earlier this year because they violated the New Jersey restaurateur’s right to a speedy trial.
In April 2024, the feds re-indicted Tommy Manzo on the same charges, which include one count of “violent crime in aid of racketeering activity, conspiracy to commit an assault with a dangerous weapon, and falsifying and concealing records related to a federal investigation.”
Tommy is also still facing pending state charges over allegations he and another man broke into Dina and Dave’s Holmdel, NJ home, where they bound and beat the couple before robbing them in May 2017.
Dina married Tommy in 2005. The two split in 2012 but didn’t officially divorce until 2016. Her sister and fellow RHONJ alum Caroline Manzo is married to Tommy’s older brother, Albert.
Real Housewives of New Jersey isn’t expected to return for season 15 until late 2025 or early 2026.
As always, stay glued to AllAboutTRH for the latest, greatest, and most exclusive Real Housewives of New Jersey tea on the internet!
