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Carmen ‘The Cheeseman’ DiNunzio Dies at 68 as Obituary Revives His Mafia Record

Coverage revisits FBI files on his alleged underboss role, with his attorney disputing the label.

Overview

  • The East Boston resident “passed away peacefully,” according to his obituary, which listed his age as 68.
  • FBI affidavits filed in federal court describe him as a made member in the late 1990s who began serving as underboss in 2004.
  • He pleaded guilty in a 2006 Big Dig bribery conspiracy after paying $10,000 to an undercover agent posing as a state inspector, serving five years in federal prison.
  • In a separate Essex County plea, he admitted extorting a North End bookmaker in 2001 and promoting an illegal gambling operation that took sports bets across the North Shore.
  • Recent accounts note long-term illnesses documented in federal court records, while his lawyer rejects law-enforcement portrayals and calls him a low-key, respected neighborhood figure.