William Cutolo
| William Cutolo | |
|---|---|
New York Police Department mugshot of William Cutolo
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| Born |
June 6, 1949 Potenza, Basilicata, Italy |
| Died | May 26, 1999 (aged 49) Brooklyn, New York, US |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Guglielmo Cutolo |
| Occupation | Mafioso and hitman |
William Cutolo (June 6, 1949 – May 26, 1999), also known as "Billy Fingers" and "Wild Bill", was a Brooklyn mobster in the Colombo crime family who committed several murders and was heavily involved in labor racketeering. Cutolo played a key role in the 1991 to 1993 Colombo war.
William Cutolo, christened Guglielmo Cutolo, was born in Potenza in Basilicata, Italy. William Sr. was the brother of Gertrude, Barbara, and Geraldine Cutolo. He was related to Italian Camorra mob boss Raffaele Cutolo.
William Cutolo had three daughters and a son named William Jr., born 1972. In 1990, Cutolo had his third daughter, Dana Cutolo with his wife Bette Anne Fox, from Brooklyn. William Jr. followed his father into illegal gambling and loansharking and was eventually convicted of extortion and racketeering.
Cutolo was also involved with several charities. He was a fundraising chairman and board member for the National Leukemia Research Association in Garden City, New York. 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 in Rye Brook, New York. 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 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's crew, Cutolo soon became one of the family's more powerful leaders. Cutolo was successful because he could make lots of 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 with a baseball bat.Cutolo was fond of cowboy boots and frequently wore a large brown ten-gallon hat. He operated Bill's Friendly Bocce social club in the Bath Beach section of Brooklyn as his headquarters. Cutolo was the best man at mobster John "Jackie" DeRoss's wedding, the man who would eventually participate in his murder.
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