26 Years ago May 26th1999 Colombo Legend Powerhouse Wild Bill was taken out RIP

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 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 at a park in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn where the meeting was set to take place. 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. A few years later, Gambino crime family 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 in Staten Island 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. DeRoss became the new underboss.

In 2001, Cutolo's family formally joined the Witness Protection Program.William Jr. would be removed from the program in 2006 due to an extortion conviction.

In a 2002 hearing in Surrogate Court, a judge pronounced Cutolo dead in absentia.

(June 6th 1949 - May 26th 1999)

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