Caroline Manzo said she was ‘heartbroken’ amid the news that her sister Dina Manzo’s ex-husband Thomas Manzo had been arrested for allegedly ordering the assault of her then-boyfriend.
‘We are heartbroken,’ Manzo, 58, told Extra in an interview published Wednesday.
‘This is family on both sides. I want to know the truth, and my allegiance will lie with the truth.’
Shocking: Caroline Manzo, 58, told Extra she was ‘heartbroken’ on Wednesday after police arrested her sister Dina’s ex-husband for allegedly ordering the assault of her then-boyfriend; shown with husband Albert Manzo in 2013
Manzo, who appeared on The Real Housewives Of New Jersey from its first season in 2009 through the fifth season in 2013, seemed to condemn the alleged assault while also adding in a defensive note.
‘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.
Manzo and her sister Dina, 48, both married into the same family, with Caroline marrying Albert Manzo III, while Dina married his brother Tommy Manzo.
The sisters appeared together on the first two seasons of RHONJ, and they also appeared together in season four, when Caroline was part of the main cast and Dina was a guest.
Dina rejoined the main cast for the sixth season, after her sister had already departed for good.
Family: ‘This is family on both sides. I want to know the truth, and my allegiance will lie with the truth,’ said Manzo. She and her sister Dina both married Manzo brothers; shown in 2013
Manzo has kept a fairly low profile since her former brother-in-law was arrested.
Her most recent Instagram post was from Sunday, when she shared a chipper photo of herself showing off her hair after going without dye while quarantining at home.
‘I decided to embrace the gray,’ she wrote.
Radio silence: Manzo has kept a fairly low profile since her former brother-in-law was arrested. She posted about embracing her gray hair on Sunday
Costars: The Manzo sisters appeared together on the first two seasons of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey; pictured in 2010
On Tuesday, Thomas Manzo, 55, was charged for allegedly hiring Lucchese crime family member John Perna to assault his ex-wife’s then-boyfriend back in July 2015.
Both Manzo and Perna were charged with conspiracy and committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity.
Prosecutors said Perna and an associate attacked Dina’s boyfriend David Cantin with a slap jack in the parking lot of a New Jersey strip mall at Manzo’s request.
The attack left Cantin with a permanent facial scar, authorities said.
Manzo was angry that Dina had moved in with her new boyfriend after they had separated, prosecutors alleged. Manzo and Dina were married in 2007 before separating in 2012 and finalizing their divorce in 2016.
The couple have a daughter together, Lexi, 22.
Delayed response: On Tuesday, Thomas Manzo, 55, was charged for allegedly hiring Lucchese crime family member John Perna to assault his ex-wife’s then-boyfriend back in July 2015
Brutal attack: Prosecutors said Perna and an associate attacked Dina’s boyfriend David Cantin with a slap jack in the parking lot of a New Jersey strip mall at Manzo’s request
In exchange for carrying out the attack, prosecutors said Manzo allowed Perna to host a lavish wedding reception at his event venue in Paterson, New Jersey, for a fraction of the standard price.
Manzo co-owns the lavish Brownstone venue with his brother, Caroline’s husband Albert. The venue appeared in episodes of the RHONJ when Dina was on the series.
The wedding Perna held was paid for by another Lucchese associate and close friend of Manzo’s.
Sweetheart deal: In exchange for carrying out the attack, prosecutors said Manzo allowed Perna (above in a prior mugshot) to host a lavish wedding reception at his event venue in Paterson, New Jersey, for a fraction of the standard price
The August 2015 wedding and reception, was paid for by another Lucchese associate and close friend of Manzo’s, was attended by approximately 330 people and included many members of the Lucchese crime family, prosecutors alleged.
Manzo was also accused of falsifying and concealing records related to the wedding venue.
FBI agents raided the venue in November last year and seized invoices for the wedding reception, as well as other relevant documents, that were not previously turned over.
Both Manzo and Perna were arrested on Tuesday and made initial court appearances later in the day via videoconferencing.
They were both charged with committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity and conspiracy to commit a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity.
Manzo’s attorney, Michael Critchley, said his client is ‘absolutely innocent, and the allegations more resemble a fictionalized plot of a reality TV show, and will be proven to be nothing more than that.’
An attorney representing Perna didn’t return an email message Tuesday.
Both Manzo and Perna face up to 20 years in prison on the most serious of the charges against them.
Serious time: Both Manzo and Perna face up to 20 years in prison on the most serious of the charges against them