Outside Starbucks in Greenvale, Long Island, a gaggle of agents waited with cell phones and cameras at the ready. Inside, more agents were sprinkled about, including a couple posing as starry-eyed lovers.

As they made eyes at each other, their ears were focused on the hushed conversation of five Colombo mobsters and associates at the next table. None of the overheard talk could be called criminal, but the 90-minute sitdown will cost soldier John (Sonny) Franzese (right) at least eight months in prison, and probably more, according to federal officials.

This is not a reprint. This is a recent development that follows a familiar theme. For the fourth time in 19 years, Franzese, now 84, was getting nailed for violating conditions of his federal parole, which won't end until 2020, when he's 102.

Franzese, whose latest parole stretch began in February, 1998, was caught sipping coffee with soldier Leonard (Big Lenny) Dello, 72, and associates Saverio (Sammy) Galasso III, 33, and Saverio (Sam Senior) Galasso II, 56.

Dello, a longtime Franzese pal, is a violent family "shooter,"according to former Luchese acting boss Alfonse (Little Al) D'Arco. (left) The Galassos are awaiting trial for racketeering charges that include mail fraud, arson and money laundering. Franzese's son John, who has had his own troubles, was also at the table, sources said.

The official charge is a single "association" with Colombo wiseguys on his do-not-associate-with list, the least serious of three possible violations. The infraction normally merits a warning or a few months in the slammer, but in Franzese's case it could mean up to three years, say federal parole officials. 

The sitdown took place several days after the elder Galasso was added as a defendant in the then-nine month old indictment against his son and other reputed Franzese crew members, including Robert Misseri, 32. Coincidentally, Misseri, who had been detained without bail for about seven months, was granted bail that same day.

"Sonny is a hands on guy and wanted to be brought up to speed on the latest developments in the case," said one Gang Land source.

"Unfortunately for him," said a federal parole official, "the FBI was following the Galassos. They spotted him meeting three guys on his list of wiseguys he was prohibited from having any direct or indirect contact with, and they alerted us."

Sources said the FBI had been tipped that the Galassos would see Franzese and had agents rotating in and out of the Starbucks in an effort to overhear

Assistant U.S. attorneys Gary Brown and James Miskiewicz, who had sought to detain the younger Galasso as a danger to the community last year, declined to comment about whether they would cite the meeting in an effort to revoke the bail of either Galasso.

As for Franzese, he was arrested on Jan. 23 and housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to await a final determination on how much jail time his coffee break will cost him.

His lawyer did not return calls, but sources say Franzese has decided not to  contest the association rap, just quietly serve his time, and do his best to avoid a fifth violation when he gets out again.

That's a lot to expect, like trying to teach an old gangster new tricks.

Editor's note, especially for those keeping score at home who have noticed a discrepancy or two regarding Franzese's age or when his parole ends: Federal officials, who said last time that his parole expired in 2017, now say it ends in 2020. Also, the feds, who had listed Feb. 6, 1919 as his birthdate, now say he was born Feb. 6, 1917, which means Sonny celebrated his 84th birthday in prison a couple of weeks ago.

Watts, who is at the same Brooklyn lockup as Franzese, was detained for essentially the same reasons as Franzese -- meeting crime family associates he was prohibited from seeing while under federal supervision.

The meetings -- with Gambino capos Peter Gotti and John (Jackie Nose) D'Amico -- occurred while Watts was on bail in 1994-5 awaiting trial for the execution of mobster Thomas (Tommy Sparrow) Spinelli. Peter Gotti and D'Amico were members of a family panel that was aiding John A. (Junior) Gotti run the family for his jailed-for-life father, according to court records.

His refusal to heed prior court orders established that Watts would likely do it again and intimidate witnesses or obstruct justice in other ways, assistant U.S. attorney Andrew Genser charged at Watts' detention hearing.

Citing his alleged involvement in nine murders -- "a past literally littered with murder after murder"-- Genser argued that Watts was the type of defendant that Congress intended to detain in 1984 when it passed the Bail Reform Act.

Brooklyn Federal Judge David Trager, who had been weighing strict house arrest conditions, detained Watts and set a tentative June 18 trial date.