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Brownstone co-owner Thomas "Tommy" Manzo, 55, of Franklin Lakes, hired Lucchese Crime Family member John Perna, 43, of Cedar Grove to assault Dina Manzo's then-boyfriend and current husband, David Cantin, in July 2015, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said following the arrests.
In exchange, Perna “held a lavish wedding reception at Manzo’s restaurant for a fraction of the price,” Carpenito said.
Another Lucchese associate and a close friend of Manzo’s picked up the tab for the August 2015 wedding and reception, attended by nearly 330 people, many of them members of the crime family, the U.S. attorney said.
A federal indictment returned by a grand jury in Newark charged Manzo and Perna with racketeering violence and conspiracy.
Perna is also charged with with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in connection with a bogus car insurance claim, Carpenito said.
Manzo also is charged with falsifying and concealing records during the FBI investigation.
Perna was scheduled to begin serving a state prison sentence in January 2016 when he falsely reported that his Mercedes Benz was stolen and destroyed, Carpenito said.
Perna filed an insurance claim for the balance due on the car – which Carpenito said was stolen and torched by his associates.
The U.S. attorney credited special agents of the FBI with the investigation leading to the indictment and arrests. Senior Litigation Counsel V. Grady O’Malley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendall Randolph of Carpenito’s Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark are handling the prosecution.
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