The Real Housewives of New Jersey‘s Danielle Staub played right into the mafia stereotypes the show is often accused of by bringing in convicted felon Danny Provenzano to be her bodyguard for an event at the rival Manzo family’s charity fundraiser. (I’m not kidding – read more about the Godfatheresque drama and watch video of Danielle and Danny HERE.)
In addition to writing and directing the movie This Thing of Ours, Danny Provenzano also spent time dabbling in racketeering and failing to pay his taxes, for which he was convicted and went to prison for more than four years from 2003-2007.
Above is Danny Provenzano’s mug shot, and below is his criminal record including the statutes that he violated:
Offense: 1 count of 2C:41-2*1 Racketeering/Prohibited Acts/1
Offense Date: June 7, 1997
Sentence Date: September 16, 2003
County of Commitment: Bergen
Commitment Order: 99-06-1137-I
Mandatory Minimum Term: None
Maximum Term: 10 Years
2C:41-2. Prohibited activities
a. It shall be unlawful for any person who has received any income derived, directly or indirectly, from a pattern of racketeering activity or through collection of an unlawful debt in which he has participated as a principal within the meaning of N.J.S. 2C:2-6 to use or invest, directly or indirectly, any part of the income, or the proceeds of the income, in acquisition of any interest in, or the establishment or operation of any enterprise which is engaged in or the activities of which affect trade or commerce. A purchase of securities on the open market for purposes of investment, and without the intention of controlling or participating in the control of the issuer or of assisting another to do so, shall not be unlawful under this section, provided that the sum total of the securities of the issuer held by the purchaser, the members of his family, and his or their accomplices in any pattern of racketeering activity or in the collection of an unlawful debt does not amount in the aggregate to 1% of the outstanding securities of any one class, or does not, either in law or in fact, empower the holders thereof to elect one or more directors of the issuer, provided further, that if, in any proceeding involving an alleged investment in violation of this section, it is established that over half of the defendant’s aggregate income for a period of 2 or more years immediately preceding the investment was derived from a pattern of racketeering activity, a rebuttable presumption shall arise that the investment included income derived from a pattern of racketeering activity.
b. It shall be unlawful for any person through a pattern of racketeering activity or through collection of an unlawful debt to acquire or maintain, directly or indirectly, any interest in or control of any enterprise which is engaged in or activities of which affect trade or commerce.
c. It shall be unlawful for any person employed by or associated with any enterprise engaged in or activities of which affect trade or commerce to conduct or participate, directly or indirectly, in the conduct of the enterprise’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity or collection of unlawful debt.
d. It shall be unlawful for any person to conspire as defined by N.J.S. 2C:5-2, to violate any of the provisions of this section.
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Offense: 1 count of 54:52-9*3 Failure to pay taxes
Offense Date: June 7, 1997
Sentence Date: September 16, 2003
County of Commitment: Bergen
Commitment Order: 99-06-1137-I
Mandatory Minimum Term: None
Maximum Term: 1 Year, 6 Months
54:52-9. Failure to pay
a. A person is guilty of a crime of the third degree if he fails to pay or turn over when due any tax, fee, penalty or interest or any part thereof required to be paid pursuant to the provisions of the State Tax Uniform Procedure Law, R.S. 54:48-1 et seq., as amended and supplemented, or any State tax law, with the intent to evade, avoid or otherwise not make timely payment or deposit of any tax, fee, penalty or interest or any part thereof.
b. The fact that any payment was made with a subsequently dishonored negotiable instrument shall constitute prima facie evidence that the actor failed to pay within the meaning of subsection a. of this section, and the trier of fact may draw a permissive inference therefrom that the actor did not intend to make the payment.
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Danielle certainly knows how to bring the drama! Be sure to keep tuning in to new episodes of The Real Housewives of New Jersey to see how Danny fares with Danielle’s co-stars!
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
