Thomas was arrested on Tuesday and charged with paying an alleged mobster to attack Cantin, in 2015. During a Zoom court appearance on Tuesday, Thomas pleaded not guilty to charges.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, his bail has been set for $100,000. If he posts bail, Thomas' travel is restricted to the state of New Jersey and he must surrender all passports and travel documents.
The documents also state that Thomas has been ordered not to have any contact with the victims, which includes Dina and Cantin, unless an attorney is present.
Last week news broke that Thomas is facing federal charges after he allegedly orchestrated an attack on Cantin in 2015. He and John Perna — who is allegedly a member of an organized crime family — were arrested “on charges of planning and carrying out an assault of Dina’s current husband in exchange for a lavish wedding reception,” according to documents obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, June 30.
The charges against the men include “committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity and conspiracy to commit a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity.” Thomas and Perna could face up to 20 years behind bars if they are found guilty.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey claimed that Thomas hired Perna to attack Cantin. In exchange for the assault, Thomas allegedly promised Perna a discounted reception at his New Jersey restaurant. The businessman allegedly gave him personal information about Cantin, and Perna and another suspected mobster found him in July 2015, followed him into a strip mall and allegedly assaulted him with “the intent to inflict serious permanent injury.”
According to the documents, Thomas was “upset” that Cantin “had an ongoing relationship with” his ex-wife, Dina, and “planned to have a violent assault committed on” Cantin “that would leave a permanent facial scar.”
In early 2015, Thomas “offered to hold the reception for free or at a deeply discounted price if” Perna, “would commit or cause to be committed a violent assault” on Cantin, the indictment states.
Thomas pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, June 30 to the alleged charges. His lawyer, Michael Critchley, released a statement via Page Six saying 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.”
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