Campanella, (right) who had survived a bloody mob war with Cutolo and a racketeering and murder trial at which they were acquitted, just kept on trucking without a word of protest about the death of his "best friend," according to secret FBI tapes obtained by Gang Land.

A long time bodyguard-chauffeur for Cutolo, Campanella, 44, detailed his reaction to Cutolo's fate a few days after Wild Bill disappeared on May 26, 1999 and was killed by mob rivals, according to the tapes.

On June 4, he told Genovese mobster Salvatore (Sammy Meatballs) Aparo and undercover operative Michael (Cookie) Durso how Colombo capo

"Listen," said DeRoss, "Something is going on. Billy ain't around."

"I said, 'Okay, I'll keep in touch with you,' which is good. I shook his hand and I said, 'Take care.'"

Campanella recalled that during their 1994 trial, Cutolo had told him: "If somebody says to you, 'You know, how would you feel if this guy ain't here no more?' (I should say) 'Hey listen, If he's not here, he's not here. Are we gonna have lunch? Are we gonna have dinner?' So that's just what I did. I said, 'Okay Jake. I got to go.' Shook his hand and I said, 'If you need me call me. See ya.'"

Campanella spoke glowingly of Cutolo, and as Aparo and Durso expressed their regrets and agreed that Campanella had acted the only way he could, he told of the untenable position he had been paced in.

"You want to know something? He was good to me Sammy. You know 

what? That's it. It's over. What am I gonna do? It's just like ... you know, I lost my best friend."

Campanella went on: "I was told he ain't around. That's it. What am I gonna do. If you show attitude, you sure they're gonna kill you, right? If I was to turn around and say, 'Hey, you know, I want to know who did it?' I'm gonna go whacko."

When Durso reminded Campanella that the Colombo mobsters behind Cutolo's (right) death (his body has never been found) knew how close they were and warned him to be careful, he downplayed his concerns.

"You want to know something Mike? I don't know where it came from. We don't know....I don't know who ... I don't know what happened to him. I wanna know that .... Everybody liked him, but one guy didn't like him..."

Campanella may not have known where it came from or who did the dirty work but authorities are certain that acting Colombo boss Alphonse (Allie)

At a pre-trial hearing last month-- Persico, (left)  Campanella and DeRoss are co-defendants in a racketeering case set for trial in January -- FBI agents testified that several FBI informers have fingered Persico in the slaying. And Brooklyn Federal Judge Reena Raggi said FBI agents acted properly in searching Persico's Brooklyn apartment and ruled that cash and alleged loanshark records the agents seized can be used as evidence at trial.

Persico claimed the agents had no right to seize the cash and records because they had found the object cited in their search warrant -- a cell phone -- when they entered the apartment and should have stopped  their search. Raggi credited the agents' testimony that they did not know it was the phone they were looking for and ruled that since they were acting in good faith when they found the evidence it could be used at trial.

Persico's lawyer Barry Levin ripped Raggi's ruling and allegations that his client was involved in Cutolo's demise: "The judge ignored the fact that the testimony of the four agents was contradictory and materially inconsistent; she refused to acknowledge the law that applied. I believe the judge was incorrect, and I am optimistic that in the unlikely event of a conviction, it will be overturned. The whole case is based on gossip and innuendo. The government has no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Persico had anything to do with Cutolo's death. It is looking for a convenient scapegoat."

Campanella's lawyer, Lawrence Ruggiero, declined to comment.

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