Money trouble is now circulating in the Manzo family. The Manzo empire, which was introduced to fans on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, is now another family that is experiencing tax issues. Earlier this week, NorthJersey.com reported that the family’s property, The Brownstone, is 15 months behind on property tax. Municipal officials said that The Brownstone, a banquet hall that was also featured in the reality TV series, is in an estimated $136,969 in property tax arrears in payments to the city of Paterson, New Jersey for a tax appeal settlement. This involves a small parking lot next to a banquet hall.
This news comes after councilman Luis Velez, who recently paid The Brownstone banquet hall an overdue bill following his August 2023 wedding. He discovered the bill after investigating the banquet hall’s property taxes when he paid the bill. Albert Manzo dismissed the property tax bill as “sour grapes” from the councilman, because “he got a black eye when he didn’t pay his bill”. Velez denies this claim that he contacted the press about the property tax arrears in retaliation, stating “The facts are facts. Nobody is above the law. I’m just disappointed that he got a break and still hasn’t come through.”
This is not the only issue the Manzo family is facing. Manzo’s wife, Caroline Manzo, filed a lawsuit against Bravo on January 26 of this year, accusing the network of encouraging sexual harassment during her time on The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip. She then stated in her lawsuit that The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville of sexual assault, which she vehemently denies. As of August 2024, there have been no updates on the lawsuit.
A Tax Settlement Was Reached In March 2023 For The ‘RHONJ’ Family
Image via Bravo
In March 2023, Velez and six other members of the City Council in Paterson approved a tax appeal settlement involving The Brownstone’s parking property. The tax appeal covered the six years from 2018 through 2023. As part of the agreement, A.M. Manzo LLC succeeded in getting the assessments on The Brownstone parking properties reduced by more than $1 million per year. This means that for 2023, according to the city council, the Manzo corporation would have to pay taxes based on the parking area being assessed at $1.5 million instead of $2.5 million.
Under the settlement, the Manzo corporation will have to pay $13,605 per month to cover the back taxes. Officials in the Paterson tax office stated that in May 2023, the Manzo’s had paid $80,616 on the settlement in May 2023 with two payments, even though this amount was not required. Since then, the Manzo’s have not made another payment on the installment plan.
As city officials claimed that they have not calculated exactly how late the Manzo empire is paying, it is unclear how far behind the banquet hall and the Manzo corporation are on payments. However, by paying $13,605 per month, the Manzo empire should have paid the city around $217,685 in back taxes by August 2024. The two huge payments in May 2023 total $80,616, leaving The Brownstone about $137,000 short. It has been sixteen months since the payment plan took effect.