DeCavalcante turncoats say several incidents raised their suspicions about the associate, Ralph (Ralphie O) Guarino, and the family had "numerous discussions" about whacking him, according to FBI documents obtained by Gang land.

Luckily for Guarino, the New Jersey gangsters held off for a relatively long time because they had not done their required "homework," defector Anthony Capo told the FBI.

By time the real-life Sopranos completed their homework -- and Genovese soldier Federico (Fritzy) Giovanelli (right) confirmed their worst fears -- the FBI learned about the security breach and arrested his would be executioners. Giovanelli, 71, was hit with obstruction of justice charges last week. He allegedly obtained the information from a typist who worked for a company that does work for the U.S. Attorney's office.

Capo suspected Guarino because he was the only one of seven drug users

Capo's suspicions increased when Guarino provided so-called bootleg cell phones to the New Jersey gangsters, free of charge (in reality, they were FBI issue, complete with wiretaps) that were still going strong after six months.

"Using a bootleg phone for such a long time without the phone being turned off was hard to believe," Capo (left) told the FBI after he began cooperating last year.

Capo and former acting boss Vincent (Vinny Ocean) Palermo discussed killing Guarino after a sitdown over a rent dispute between Guarino and a Palermo nephew, who ran a restaurant in a building Guarino owned. At the sitdown, Guarino became "very brazen and yelled at Palermo’s nephew in

"It was almost like Ralphie knew he had a guardian angel protecting him, raising his voice like that," said one source.

"Palermo got angry at Ralph and yelled at him," wrote McElearney, adding that "shortly after the encounter" Palermo (right) learned from one of his many lawyers, that he was under investigation and "discussed killing Ralph."

By the fall of 1999, wrote McElearney, Palermo had enlisted soldier James Gallo and associate Victor DiChiara to do the job.

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, Palermo and Capo met in Staten Island and pored over a list of DeCavalcante wiseguys who were under investigation and going to be indicted. Palermo said soldier Anthony Rotondo had gotten the names from Giovanelli and had also learned from him that "someone who has been around us for two years wore a wire."

The information was right on. Guarino had been tape recording the

The next day, Nov. 23, 1999, Palermo met with Capo, Gallo (left) and DiChiara at a Queens restaurant. Over lunch, they "discussed that Ralph should be killed."

The murder plot ended on Dec. 2 when scores of DeCavalcantes and other wiseguys were rounded up and arrested on racketeering and murder charges. Gallo, Rotondo (right) and several others are set for trial in October.

Palermo, Capo, DiChiara and Guarino are all potential witnesses, although it's possible that some may be held out for a second racketeering and murder trial of top DeCavalcante gangsters next year. Capo was set to testify against Gambino gangster Joseph Watts earlier last month but pulled at the last moment when prosecutors decided they didn't need him. 

On Oct. 2, 1999, Aparo told Durso that he and other Genovese wiseguys were involved in a nearly foolproof $5 million stolen check scam that made use of a quasi-legitimate check cashing business.

"They'll (the feds) look for the guy that cashed it, he goes in the wind. The name's a phony; everything is all phony already. It looks good, it looks like it will work," he told Durso, whose three years of undercover work ended in April.

As FBI agent Michael Campi listened to the conversation, his eyes lit up.

On Oct. 20, Campi sent Durso out with instructions to mention to Aparo that 

Bingo!

That's great, said Aparo, but the scheme will have to wait a while; our main contact, Frank (Big Frank) Schwamborn (left) is busy at the moment.

So the FBI waited. A couple months later, on Dec. 16, the FBI did what Schwamborn allegedly told Durso to do, and mailed a $120,000 "stolen" check to a Long Island address that Big Frank provided. The check was washed through a bank account and a New Jersey check cashing facility, according to documents obtained by Gang Land.

On Jan. 5, there were smiling faces all around as Aparo's mobster son Vincent (right) gave Durso $60,000 in cash, of which $40,000 was earmarked for the Durso contact who had provided the, ahem, stolen check.

Gang Land wasn't there, but Campi's smile had to be the most satisfying of all.

All told, Sammy Meatballs, Vincent Aparo, Schwamborn, mobster Peter (Petey Red) DiChiara, lawyer David Grossman, and check cashing operator Robert Santoro were hit with mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering charges. All pleaded not guilty and await trial in Brooklyn Federal Court.