Case Of The Chivalrous Mobster

HIGH-RANKING mobsters in four New York City Mafia families are in serious trouble because mob associate Barclay (Bobby) Farenga is a chivalrous gentleman at heart.

Farenga -- a drug dealer, admitted killer and Genovese crime family associate -- triggered what federal officials say is the most significant organized crime investigation in years when he was busted on cocaine charges in November 1987.

As the Daily News disclosed Sunday, Farenga, 42, and his business partner, Peter Savino, are now key witnesses in a federal grand jury probe of more than $40 million in city contracts for the installation of replacement windows in the city's 238 Housing Authority projects.

Among other things, Farenga claims to have bribed union and city Housing Authority officials for years.

He also brags that he has a soft spot for the women in his life - that he began cooperating to get drug charges dismissed against three women arrested with him: a girlfriend, her sister and their mom.

Last week, Farenga discussed his decision to cooperate when he testified at the trial of mob associate Nicholas Guido, who was charged with the 1986 shooting of reputed Luchese mob underboss, Anthony (Gaspipe) Casso.

Farenga admitted under cross-examination that he cared about the sentence he eventually gets for drug and labor racketeering charges, but insisted to defense lawyer Jay Horlick that was not his main reason for testifying.

"The main thing," said Farenga, "is the women are already released and that was the main part of it."

After the charges were dropped against Farenga's girlfriend, she began seeing Guido, but Farenga claimed he was not testifying against Guido out of jealousy.

The jury must have believed some of Farenga's testimony because it convicted Guido of assault charges, although it did acquit on the more serious attempted murder charges.