Bookmakers' phones tapped in probe

Official contends calls implicated DiNunzio

Near Fresh Cheese Shop on Endicott Street, owned by reputed underboss Carmen "The Big Cheese" DiNunzio, the reactions to his arrest ranged from disinterest to surprise yesterday. (George Rizer/ Globe Staff)

More than 10,000 wiretapped phone calls of a dozen bookmakers made during a four-month investigation in 2001 implicated Carmen "The Big Cheese" DiNunzio as heading Greater Boston's illegal gaming organization, according to an official familiar with the investigation that led to the alleged underboss's arrest in the North End on Friday.

State Police have transcripts of taped conversations among bookmakers who turned to DiNunzio to solve betting turf wars, the official said.

"Whenever there were disputes among bookmakers, they turned to Carmen to solve the problem," the official said. "All of these different groups answered to him."

DiNunzio, who allegedly ran a betting office out of Revere, is caught on the wiretaps making appointments for meetings to bring warring factions together and smooth disputes, the official said, but mentions nothing that implicates him directly.

"He uses the phone to set up meetings, but he doesn't talk on the phone," the official said. "He knows better than that."

DiNunzio , 49, was arrested on extortion and illegal gambling charges at about 5:15 p.m. Friday as he came out of The Gemini Club , a new social club near the corner of Lynn and Cooper streets in the North End. He was being held yesterday on $250,000 bail at the State Police barracks in Danvers and is scheduled to be arraigned in Salem Superior Court tomorrow . He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The charges against DiNunzio stem from a 2001 investigation during which officials wiretapped nearly a dozen bookmakers between September and December. DiNunzio was promoted to second in command of the local branch of La Cosa Nostra around 2002 after winning the favor of New England's godfather, Luigi "Baby Shanks" Manocchio.

Police moved in to arrest DiNunzio Friday because the statute of limitations on charges stemming from the wiretaps would have run out midmonth .

DiNunzio has repeatedly denied any connection to the Mafia.

State Police have a witness who will testify against DiNunzio, the official said, and authorities will be strenuous in their efforts to prosecute him.

"They are going to fight for jail time," the official said.

Among some highlights of the tapings, police recorded conversations of mobster William Angelesco -- who was acquitted of murder, a charge stemming from a slaying in a Revere strip bar two years ago-- as he allegedly tried to muscle gaming territory from other competitors. Angelesco is awaiting trial on gaming and conspiracy charges from 2001.

Also, during a police raid last year at the Lynnfield home of bookmaker Arthur Gianelli , who is the brother-in-law of former FBI agent John J. Connolly , officials learned that Gianelli was under DiNunzio's "protective umbrella," and discovered a ledger of payments Gianelli made to DiNunzio for the ability to do independent gaming business, the official said.

DiNunzio, who grew up in East Boston and runs a tobacco shop and a restaurant, Carmen's Kitchen, there, has been convicted of extortion .

In 1993, while living in California, he was sentenced to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to extorting $27,000 from a Las Vegas gambler in a failed attempt to take over an Indian gaming hall.

In the North End, where DiNunzio owns Fresh Cheese Shop on Endicott Street, the reactions to his arrest ranged from surprise to disinterest yesterday.

Some asked that their names not be used, for fear of retribution.

"I'm surprised, especially since it [the arrest] happened on my street," said a female resident, who was on her way home from picking up dry cleaning. "I never would have guessed anything was up there . . . I go there all the time to buy cheese and olive oil."

Some sympathized with DiNunzio.

"What people do with their life is not my business," said Anna Arenielio , owner of Sal's Lunch on Thacher Street, around the corner from DiNunzio's shop. "He comes in here, just like anyone else. He doesn't bother anyone. He's been good to the neighborhood."

"He's a nice guy," said Stephen Veiras , 40, of Revere, who was sitting at the counter inside Sal's. "Who's he hurting?"

Veiras said it was ironic that DiNunzio was charged with illegal gambling.

"The state is the biggest gambler of all," he said. "They run the tracks [dog and horses]. They run the lottery . . . It's OK if you give your money to the state, but somebody who does good, for people and the neighborhood? He gets screwed."

Franci R. Ellement can be reached at richardsonfranci@hotmail.com;Kathy McCabe at kmccabe@globe.com.