Ariana's Grand Owner 'Loves Woodbridge' and He's Fighting Back

The police group that presented  owner Frank DiMattina with a 'good citizen' award stripped it from him Monday after discovering DiMattina had been convicted three weeks earlier on extortion charges.

DiMattina, who goes by the nickname "Frankie D", was sorry to see the New Jersey Honor Legion award be withdrawn.

"They came to me with this. I didn't go to them," said DiMattina.

The honor awards dinner was held at a January at Ariana's Grand, a Woodbridge-based banquet hall on Rahway Avenue. - the other was former , who died battling a Menlo Park Terrace fire in January.

"Everybody disappears when there's trouble," DiMattina said.

A tough year

It's been a tough year for the Ariana's Grand owner. After , DiMattina was supposed to be sentenced Monday for up to 7 years in prison.

He said he'll be back in court on Friday to receive the sentence - six years, he's told - but that he'll be appealing the case while he's out on bail.

DiMattina swore he's innocent, he's got a new lawyer, and he's going to be exonerated. 

"I'm going to beat this case. We're going to fight back," DiMattina said, claiming he's got new evidence to prove he was nowhere near the competitor whom federal authorities said he pulled a gun, forcing the competitor to withdraw a catering bid for a school lunch contract. 

"I have 20 affidavits from people who saw me [in New Jersey] the day they said I supposedly pulled a gun. I was catering an Indian wedding" at his Woodbridge banquet hall, DiMattina said.

The federal prosecutors, he said, "never told me the date when this allegedly happened. I got an alibi."

DiMattina said he's also got sworn statements from Staten Islanders "who said I wasn't there that day."

As bad as that is, it's the allegations of organized crime associations that really get to DiMattina. Federal officials have charged DiMattina with being an affiliate of the Genovese crime family.

"It's a joke to say I'm with organized crime. I'm half Irish! My family laughs at the idea," he said, complaining that the mob allegations are a prejudice against Italian Americans. 

Federal prosecutors, he said, couldn't prove any mob ties in court. 

"Where's the pictures? Where are the tapes? They don't have any proof. The judge asked the FBI, and they didn't have any proof," DiMattina said.

Everything related to organized crime, he said, was thrown out in court.

Loves Woodbridge

If anything, DiMattina said he "loves law enforcement."

"I've never been arrested. I have a [gun] carry permit in New York, I have a gun license for 15 years," he said. "They don't give that to organized crime."

Through Ariana's Grand, DiMattina said he's done a lot of good in Woodbridge. 

"I work with everyone. I work with the mayor, I work with police groups," he said, pointing to the deal he gave the New Jersey Honor Legion for the January dinner.

"I charged them $22 a plate, and it'd normally cost $50. That's so they could make some money on it."

He pointed out just one Colonia event where he "gave free food to seniors, 500 people," an event he said was co-sponsored with a local Colonia newspaper. 

His office staff spoke vehemently in his defense. "He cleaned up Rahway Avenue, he's done all kinds of good for the town. He works with EMS, fire departments, the cops," one angry staffer from Ariana's Grand said.

"I moved [his business] to Woodbridge. I'm dedicated to this town," DiMattina said.

Meanwhile, Mayor John McCormac's office denied any affiliation with the embattled catering hall owner.

"Ariana's Grand has been a corporation doing business in the township. They have hosted functions for civic groups and associations. There's been no work for the mayor, per se," township spokesman John Hagerty said

"The mayor hasn't held any events there. There's no connection."