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 two daughters and a son. In 1990, Cutolo fathered a third daughter with his wife Bette Ann Fox, from Brooklyn. William Jr. followed his father into illegal gambling and loansharking and was eventually convicted of extortion and racketeering.