William Cutolo (June 6, 1949 – May 26, 1999), also known as "Billy Fingers" and "Wild Bill", was a

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

mobster in the

Colombo crime family The Colombo crime family (, ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City within the criminal organization known as the American Mafia. It was duri ...

who rose to the position of under boss and was heavily involved in labor racketeering. Cutolo played a key role in the 1991 to 1993 Colombo war.

Biography

William Cutolo, christened Guglielmo Cutolo, was born in Potenza in Basilicata,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. William Sr. was the brother of Gertrude, Barbara, and Geraldine Cutolo. William Cutolo had three daughters and a son named William Jr. to previous wife Margurite Butera. In 1990, Cutolo had his third daughter, Dana, with his wife Bette Anne Fox, from Brooklyn. William Jr. followed his father into

illegal gambling Gaming law is the set of rules and regulations that apply to the gaming or gambling industry. Gaming law is not a branch of law in the traditional sense but rather is a collection of several areas of law that include criminal law, regulatory law, ...

and

loansharking A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

and was eventually convicted of

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

and racketeering. Cutolo was also involved with several charities. He was a fundraising chairman and board member for the National

Leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

Research Association in Garden City, New York."Union Inquiry Looks at Charity's Tie to Reputed Mobster"
By KEVIN FLYNN New York Times December 12, 1998 Cutolo sat on the Medical Advisory Committee as Chairman of "Team Leukemia", and was associated with the New York chapter of the

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1949, is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting blood cancer in the world. The LLS's mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's l ...

Rye Brook, New York Rye Brook is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States, within the town of Rye. The population was 9,347 at the 2010 census. Rye Brook has been designated as a Tree City USA for 14 years. History Rye Brook is located in south ...

. He helped raise $400,000 for Local 204 as well as many other locals over the years. In 1988, Cutolo was honored as the National Leukemia Association's Man of the Year. Cutolo paid for their holiday parties and dressed up every year as Santa Claus for the National Children's Leukemia Association in

Borough Park, Brooklyn Borough Park (also spelled Boro Park) is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heights to the southwest, Sunset Park to the west, ...

as his son, William Jr., handed out gifts and posed for pictures with the stricken children. Cutolo rose up the ranks of the Colombo family during the late 1980s under acting boss Victor Orena. Originally a soldier in captain

Pasquale Amato Pasquale Amato (21 March 1878 – 12 August 1942) was an Italian operatic baritone. Amato enjoyed an international reputation but attained the peak of his fame in New York City, where he sang with the Metropolitan Opera from 1908 until 1921. ...

's crew, Cutolo soon became one of the family's more powerful leaders. Cutolo was successful because he made much money and commanded a crew of hitmen. Cutolo earned the nickname "Billy Fingers" because he was missing one finger and another one was mutilated due to an occupational accident at a hamburger store. In 1989, Cutolo earned his nickname "Wild Bill" after beating a man, his own brother, with a baseball bat. Cutolo was fond of

cowboy boots Cowboy boots are a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a high heel that is traditionally made of stacked leather, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no lacing. Cowboy boots are normally m ...

and frequently wore a large brown ten-gallon hat."Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful ... "
By Selwyn Raab page 347 He operated Bill's Friendly

Bocce (, or , ), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball, bocci or boccie, is a ball sport belonging to the boules family. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to British bowls and French , with a common ancestry from ancie ...

social club in the Bath Beach section of Brooklyn as his headquarters. Cutolo was the

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony and performs the first speech at the wedding. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be ...

at mobster John "Jackie" DeRoss's wedding, the man who would eventually participate in his murder. Unyielding in negotiations and harsh with his crew members, Cutolo made no secret of his ambition to become boss of the Colombo family.

Labor racketeer

During the 1980s, Cutolo became the president and business agent for Teamsters Union local 861 in New York. However, in 1990, Cutolo resigned his positions the day before the

Teamsters Union The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the un ...

was planning to expel him for organized crime ties. His crew included Joseph Petillo, Dominick Dionisio, Michael Spataro, Ralph Guccione, Vincent "Chickie" DeMartino, Michael Donato and his son William Cutolo Jr. Cutolo also gained control of District Council (DC) 37, a local of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Cutolo and his close friend mobster Thomas DiNardo used Council 37 to steer jobs to Colombo associates and spending towards Colombo-controlled vendors and resorts."Solidarity for sale: how corruption destroyed the labor movement and ..."
By Robert Fitch page 180 Cutolo was not afraid to use intimidation to maintain power. In 1990, Cutolo sent thugs to beat up 72-year-old Vincent Parisi, the head of a Laborers Union local with colon cancer. During a meeting several days earlier, Parisi had cursed at Cutolo and thrown a paper ball at his face. In 1998, New York City newspapers reported on links between Council 37 and the National Leukemia Research Foundation, Cutolo's favorite charity. Investigators questioned whether cash donations from union officials were actually being received by the Foundation."Union Inquiry Looks at Charity's Tie to Reputed Mobster"
By KEVIN FLYNN December 12, 1998 During the 1990s, Cutolo also became vice president of the new Local 400 of the Industrial & Production Workers Union, a city workers union. He was later accused of using the union's name to receive money from companies seeking to avoid union organizers.

Businessman

Cutolo also extorted money from companies such as Embassy Terrace, a Brooklyn caterer. The company was in severe financial trouble when it approached Cutolo for help. In return his investment, Cutolo gained control over the enterprise. Cutolo also controlled several restaurants and nightclubs In New York and

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. In 1998, Cutolo and mobster

Vincent Palermo Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo (born June 4, 1944) is an Italian American former mobster who was ''de facto'' boss of the New Jersey DeCavalcante crime family before becoming a government witness in 1999. Fictional mob boss Tony Soprano, the protago ...

allegedly formed a partnership with German corporation Siemens AG behind dummy investors on a cell phone deal in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

."Made men: the true rise-and-fall story of a New Jersey mob family"
By Greg B. Smith

Persico-Orena Colombo war

In 1991, Cutolo became enmeshed in a bloody war for control of the Colombo family. Acting boss Victor Orena had challenged Carmine Persico, still in prison, on the naming of his son Alphonse Persico as acting boss. Cutolo was one of Orena's strongest allies. On June 21, 1991, the bloodshed started with an unsuccessful assassination attempt by the Persico faction on Orena. On November 18, 1991, in response to the Orena attack, Cutolo sent a team to ambush Persico loyalist Gregory Scarpa as he was driving with his daughter and granddaughter. Scarpa and his family managed to escape harm."Mob: stories of death and betrayal from organized crime"
By Clint Willis pp. 88-89 Five days after the Scarpa hit, Cutolo led a hit team that killed Persico loyalist Henry Smurra outside a Brooklyn doughnut shop."The Colombo Family: Junior's War"
By Anthony Bruno TruTV Crime Library In another incident, Cutolo was driving away from a

Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn Sheepshead Bay is a neighborhood in southern Brooklyn, New York City. It is bounded by Ocean Parkway to the west; Avenue T and Kings Highway to the north; Nostrand Avenue and Gerritsen Avenue to the east; and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. ...

, social club when he spotted Persico loyalist

Joel Cacace Joel Cacace Sr. (born April 9, 1941), also known as Joe Waverly, is an American mobster and former consigliere of the Colombo crime family in New York City. He was convicted of murder in 2004 and was released from prison in 2020. Early life Cacace ...

. The two men traded shots on the street, wounding Cacace. After Orena's imprisonment in 1992, the Colombo war ended in October 1993 with a Persico victory after the murder of Orena captain Joseph Scopo. Investigators concluded that Cutolo was personally responsible for three of the 12 murders committed during this conflict. To punish Cutolo for his support of Orena, Carmine Persico temporarily demoted him from capo to soldier. Carmine Persico was also angry that Cutolo had called him "a rat" for admitting the existence of the

Cosa Nostra The Sicilian Mafia, also simply known as the Mafia and frequently referred to as Cosa nostra (, ; "our thing") by its members, is an Italian Mafia-terrorist-type organized crime syndicate and criminal society originating in the region of Sicily ...

at the 1985

Mafia Commission Trial The Mafia Commission Trial (in full, ''United States v. Anthony Salerno, et al'') was a criminal trial before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in New York City, United States, that lasted from February 25, 19 ...

. Despite his demotion, Cutolo eventually reconciled with Persico after the war, or so he thought. The family had been decimated, but the Mafia Commission would not allow the induction of new members until the two warring factions made peace. In early 1993, Cutolo and six of his crew members were arrested and held without bail on racketeering and murder charges from the Colombo war. In September 1994, they went on trial, but were all acquitted. The main reason for the verdict was just-revealed information about Scarpa's role as an informant for the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI)."Convictions: A Prosecutor's Battles Against Mafia Killers, Drug Kingpins ..."
By John Kroger pp 149-150

Disappearance

In early 1999, after Alphonse Persico was released from prison, Carmine Persico promoted Cutolo to underboss as a peace gesture. However, the situation changed when Alphonse Persico was sentenced to prison in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

on a gun possession charge. The Persicos and DeRoss were afraid that Cutolo would seize control of the family in Alphonse Persico's absence and decided to murder Cutolo. On May 26, 1999, Alphonse Persico summoned Cutolo to a meeting. Cutolo's mechanic dropped him off in Bayside park to meet with Persico. After Cutolo arrived at the park, Thomas Gioeli, Dino Saracino, and Dino Calabro allegedly transported Cutolo to the basement of Saracino's house, where they murdered him. Gioeli then allegedly buried Cutolo at an industrial park in

Farmingdale, New York Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. The population was 8,189 as of the 2010 Census. The Lenox Hills neighborhood is adjacent to Bethpage State Park and the rest of the ...

."COLOMBO ORGANIZED CRIME FAMILY ACTING BOSS ALPHONSE T. PERSICO AND ADMINISTRATION MEMBER JOHN J. DEROSS CONVICTED OF MURDER IN AID OF RACKETEERING AND WITNESS TAMPERING"
Press Release The United States Attorney's Office Eastern District of New York December 28, 2007 A few years later, Gambino captain Michael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo testified that when he arrived at this meeting, Alphonse Persico and DeRoss told him that Cutolo was gone. The day after the Cutolo murder, DeRoss unsuccessfully ransacked Cutolo's home office for Cutolo's loansharking records and a $1.5 million cash stash (hidden in a stove vent). During that visit and succeeding ones, DeRoss warned Cutolo's family not to make any statements to police that linked Persico or the Colombo family to the shooting."Wiseguy told me not to blab, Wild Bill Cutolo's girl testifies"
BY JOHN MARZULLI New York Daily News November 8th 2007, 4:00 AM DeRoss became the new underboss. In 2001, Cutolo's family formally joined the

Witness Protection Program Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after a trial, usually by police. While a witness may only require p ...

. William Jr. would be removed from the program in 2006 due to an extortion conviction. In a 2002 hearing in

Surrogate Court A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

, a judge pronounced Cutolo

dead in absentia A presumption of death occurs when a person is thought to be dead by a group of people despite the absence of direct proof of the person's death, such as the finding of remains (e.g., a cadaver, corpse or skeleton) attributable to that person. S ...

Murder trials

In 2004, Alphonse Persico and DeRoss were indicted for conspiring to murder Cutolo. However, on November 4, 2004, the first trial ended as a

mistrial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, ...

because the jury deadlocked over a case with just circumstantial evidence and no body."Mistrial in Murder Case Declared for Colombo Crime Boss"
by Carl Horowitz National Legal and Policy Center November 20, 2006 On November 7, 2007, the second trial began. On December 28, 2007, Persico and DeRoss were convicted of Cutolo's murder. The evidence in the second trial now included undercover recordings of Persico and DeRoss made by William Jr. for the FBI as well as crucial testimony by William Sr.'s wife Peggy. In December 2008, Gioeli, Saracino, and Calabro were also indicted in the Cutolo murder. On February 27, 2009, Persico and DeRoss were sentenced to life imprisonment for the Cutolo murder."Colombo boss found guilty of murder"
BY JOHN MARZULLI New York Daily News December 29th 2007 In February 2010, Dino Calabro became a government witness. It was likely that he would testify against Gioeli and Saracino in the Cutolo murder trial.

Recovery of body

In October 2008, acting on an informant's information, federal agents started searching a field in

East Farmingdale, New York East Farmingdale is a hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. The population of the CDP was 6,484 at the 2010 census. Located in the Town of Babylon, the residents are served by the Farmingda ...

. They soon unearthed the body of a man wrapped in a blue

tarpaulin A tarpaulin ( , ) or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have reinforce ...

; the man was wearing Italian

loafers Slip-ons are typically low, lace-less shoes. The style which is most commonly seen, known as a loafer or slippers in American culture, has a moccasin construction. One of the first designs was introduced in London by Wildsmith Shoes, called the W ...

. A forensic dentist later confirmed that the body was that of William Cutolo Sr."Body Identified as Missing Mobster’s"
THE NEW YORK TIMES October 7, 2008 In 2008, nine years after his murder, Cutolo was interred at the

Cemetery of the Resurrection, Staten Island The Cemetery of the Resurrection is a Catholic cemetery on the southern shore of Staten Island, in New York City. Notable burials * Joseph Armone (1917–1992), organized crime figure * William Cutolo, Sr. (1949–1999), Underboss of the Colomb ...

."Awaiting a Burial, This Time an Actual One"
By ALAN FEUER New York Times October 8, 2008

References

External links

*http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=9125 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cutolo, William 1949 births 1999 deaths People from Potenza Mafia hitmen Colombo crime family People murdered by the Colombo crime family Murdered American gangsters of Italian descent People murdered in New York City Male murder victims American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees people