Photo: New Jersey Attorney General
An alleged mobster who assaulted the then-boyfriend and now-husband ofDina Manzoback in 2015 has been sentenced.
On Thursday, John Perna — who is accused of having ties to the Lucchese Crime Family — was sentenced to 30 months in prison for planning and carrying out an aggravated assault on David Cantin years ago, according to astatementfrom Acting US Attorney Rachael Honig.
Perna, 44, had previouslypleaded guiltyof an indictment charging him with committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity when he went before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty last year.
The Cedar Grove, New Jersey, resident was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and must pay $17,816 in restitution as part of his sentence, the statement said.
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Dina Manzo and her husband David Cantin.Dina Manzo/instagram
Prosecutorspreviously allegedthat Dina’s ex-husband, Thomas Manzo, hired Perna back in 2015 to assault Cantin, 41, who was theReal Housewives of New Jerseyalum’s boyfriend at the time, “in exchange for a deeply discounted wedding reception to be held at Manzo’s upscale Passaic County venue.”
“Perna, who is a ‘made man’ in the Lucchese Crime Family, planned and carried out the assault on July 18, 2015, with the help of a member of his crew,” the release stated. “Perna was armed with a ‘slapjack’ during the assault.”
The indictment also charges Thomas, 56, prosecutors said. Thomas, who was previouslyarrestedwith Perna, had pleaded not guilty and is currently awaiting trial.
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Thomas and Dina, 49, split in 2012 after seven years of marriage. Dina, who is mom to daughter Lexi from a previous relationship,married Cantinon June 28, 2017.
“We are heartbroken,” Caroline, 59, who is married to Thomas' brother,Albert Manzo, said at the time. “This is family on both sides. I want to know the truth and my allegiance will lie with the truth.”
“We don’t run from things like this, we address them, and I feel comfortable with that because we are being painted with a brush that does not reflect who we are as people,” she added.
source: people.com
