Dina Manzo was an integral part of making the early seasons of Real Housewives of New Jersey all about family. Along with family members Caroline Manzo and Jacqueline Laurita, Dina talked incessantly about the importance of family. Dina and Caroline are not only sisters, but they married brothers as well. The three ladies’ family ties became the essence of the show. That’s why it was so surprising when Dina chose to walk away from the show after Season 2. She also divorced her husband, Tommy Manzo. Soon after, Dina seemingly cut ties with the entire Manzo family.
Still, she seemed to be moving on peacefully until the shocking attack on Dina and her now-husband David Cantin in 2017. It was a horrifying crime that came out of nowhere. They were tied up and beaten. The official story was that it was a random violent robbery. It always seemed like a particularly vicious attack for a simple robbery. Now it seems that the truth behind the attack may be even uglier than it first appeared.
Page Six reports that according to an indictment from U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito’s office, the person responsible for the attack is none other than Dina‘s ex-husband Tommy Manzo!
The indictment alleges that Tommy recruited a member of the Lucchese crime family to carry out the attack on Dina and her then-boyfriend David (Dina and David married in May 2019). In exchange, Mafia soldier John Perna would receive a steep discount on his wedding reception at a catering hall that Tommy co-owns.
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Tommy allegedly repaid him for the assault by allowing him to host a “lavish wedding reception at Manzo’s restaurant for a fraction of the price” — entertaining scores of Lucchese mobsters during the party, prosecutors said. The charges against Tommy and John Perna include committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity, fraud, as well as other miscellaneous charges.
Yes, unfortunately, you read that right. Tommy allegedly had two people viciously beaten and terrorized in exchange for giving the perpetrator a discount on his wedding reception. There are no words.
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Tommy was married to Dina for about 11 years before the pair split in 2016. He is the brother of Albert Manzo and brother-in-law of the matriarch herself, Caroline Manzo. He is also part-owner of the Brownstone, the Manzo family business often featured on RHONJ. The entire family (except for Tommy) was featured heavily on early seasons of RHONJ, followed by their own spinoff, Manzo’d with Children. To hear that he may be behind such a horrible act is just repulsive.
Mafia rumors have followed the Manzo family through the years. The death of Albert’s father at a young age has often had whispers of mob activity surrounding it. Former RHONJ co-star Danielle Staub also dropped thinly veiled comments about the Manzo’s ties to organized crime. Caroline has always spoken out against these rumors, even suggesting that people should be ashamed of themselves for even thinking such a thing.
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Additionally, there has also been a huge rift between Dina and Caroline for years, ever since she divorced Tommy. No one will speak on the root of the issue, but this definitely adds more questions than answers. What is really going on in the Manzo family?
Regardless, no one should ever have to go through an ordeal like what Dina and David did. My heart goes out to them. To have such a terrible act committed against them is devastating enough. For it to have been allegedly ordered by a family member has got to be emotionally devastating. I hope Dina and David can fully recover from this attack, and that those responsible are swiftly brought to justice.
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TELL US- CAN YOU BELIEVE TOMMY WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS? DO YOU THINK THIS HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE ISSUES BETWEEN DINA AND CAROLINE? WILL THE MANZO’S STAND BEHIND DINA? OR WILL THEY TRY TO PROTECT TOMMY? DOES YOUR HEARTBREAK FOR WHAT DINA IS GOING THROUGH?
[Photo Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo]