Lucchese Crime Family Soldier John Perna, 43, of Cedar Grove, Admits Guilt in Assault Case12/16/2020
New Jersey's US Attorney Cragi Carpenito announced this afternoon that John Perna, 43, of Cedar Grove, pled guilty today to planning and carrying out an aggravated assault as a "made man" Soldier in the Lucchese Crime Family. The first count of the June, 2020, indictment which Perna pled guilty to charged him with committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity. Also charged in the indictment was Thomas Manzo, 55, of Franklin Lakes whose case is still being heard in court. Manzo is the ex-husband of Dina Cantin who is known for appearing on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. They separated in 2012, and their divorce was finalized in 2016. The assault was made against Cantin's current husband who at the time of his assault was her new boyfriend. The guilty plea came over videoconference in front of U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty. CASE TIMELINE According to Court statements and filed documents: SPRING 2015:
JUNE, 2015:
JULY, 2015:
AUGUST 16, 2015:
JANUARY 2016:
Jan. 2, 2016:
Jan. 3, 2016:
FEBRUARY 17 2016:
NOVEMBER, 2019:
JUNE 30, 2020:
POTENTIAL PENALTIES Perna's sentencing is scheduled for April 28, 2021. Violent Crime In Aid of Racketeering Activity
INVESTIGATORS The investigation leading to today's guilty plea by Perna was led by:
by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 4:14pm UPDATE: According to the US Department of Justice, Michael Esposito was sentenced on July 25 to:
![]() NORTH CALDWELL, NJ - Michael Esposito, 45, of North Caldwell, was charged today with one count of wire fraud. According to US Attorney Paul Fishman, Esposito was arrested today by FBI agents for "fraudulently using funds that he solicited for bulk medical supply and consumer goods transactions." Esposito appeared this afternoon before US Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court and was released on bail. According to the complaint, Esposito was the president of three companies - AME Consulting Group, AME Group, and AG Distributors - all of which purported to deal in buying consumer items in bulk from manufacturers for resale to both wholesalers and retailers. It is alleged that Esposito used funds received electronically for "payments to apparent victim investors from prior transactions, restaurant bills, and salary for himself" rather than for the intended purpose of the transaction. During a specific August 2013 incident, an individual known as "Victim 1" wired more than $1 million to Esposito for medical supplies and consumer goods transactions which were never received. The charge of wire fraud is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Fishman credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. The government is represented by Assistant US Attorney Andrew Kogan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. Esposito is represented by Brooke M. Barnett Esq., of Newark.
Published 3:10pm ![]() NEWARK, NJ - New Jersey's Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced Wednesday that 19 motor oils are now banned in the state. The New Jersey Office of Weights and Measures lab revealed in December that each of the now-banned products failed to conform to the viscosity promised on the product label which may result in the risk of engine failure and excess engine wear. The banned products may no longer be sold in New Jersey and any business that continues to sell them will be subject to a civil penalty of at least $100 per container. Viscosity is a measure of a liquid's tendency to flow and motor oils are labeled by their viscosity fluid rates. The "W" stands for Winter and the lower the "W" number the better the oil will perform in cold temperatures, ie, a 30 oil is thinner than a 40 oil. Hoffman explained that the use of a motor oil with viscosity levels that are either too high or too low for a vehicle's engine specifications may result in the risk of engine failure, excess engine wear, and/or decreased fuel efficiency. As an example, he cited motor oils which were labeled 10W-40 and which the NJ lab found to have viscosity measures that widely varied from the universally defined characteristics of 10W-40 motor oil. Banned Motor Oils The products listed below typically sell for about $3 to $4 per quart bottle: ![]()
"Many of these allegedly mislabeled motor oils are sold at cheap prices, Consumers who believe they have been cheated or scammed by a business, or suspect any other form of consumer abuse, can file a complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 (toll free within New Jersey) or 973-504-6200. “We continue to monitor the marketplace for motor oils that are mislabeled |
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