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Two years ago, top defense lawyer Ben Brafman painted Miami Beach impresario and Madonna pal Chris Paciello as a gun-toting thug and a suspect in the murder of a drug dealer.

Those stinging assertions came at the 1998 drug trial of Manhattan club owner Peter Gatien during Brafman's questioning of Michael Caruso,  onetime co-owner of a Miami club that Paciello allegedly torched for a $250,000 insurance payoff that he parlayed into a string of bars catering to beautiful people like Madonna and Sofia Vergara. Paciello, whose real name is Ludwigsen, has been romantically linked to both. (That's Paciello with the Material Girl and daughter above; at left he's with Vergara. Photos are courtesy of John Roca.)

These days, Brafman represents Paciello, whose trial for racketeering and murder begins in Brooklyn next week. Now he paints the reputed Generation X gangster as a fall guy for a gaggle of mob killers trying to buy their way out of jail by pinning crimes on him that he had nothing to do with.

At Gatien's trial, Brafman portrayed Caruso as a cohort and business partner of his future client, whom he described as a "tough guy" and a "gangster."

"You know he administered beatings, you know that, you were there," said Brafman.

"I seen him have fights and beat people up," said Caruso, who admitted

"I'm not talking about a fight, I'm talking about beating someone," pressed Brafman.

"He beat me," said Caruso.

"Chris Ludwigsen put a gun to your face and threatened to kill you," said Brafman.

"Yes," said Caruso, later explaining that Paciello was angry because he believed that Caruso "was looking to double-cross him."

As for allegations that Paciello had killed the drug dealer, Caruso said it was merely rumor.

The feds won't be able to use any of Brafman's remarks at trial, but a former buddy, Michael DeRosa, is prepared to tie him to the murder he's charged with -- the 1993 robbery-murder of Staten Island housewife Judith Shemtov.

DeRosa, a Brooklyn drug dealer who visited Paciello in Miami after the murder, has told the feds that an alleged Paciello accomplice "recounted

DeRosa asked the accomplice, Thomas Reynolds, (left) about "his experience with Ludwigsen" after he (Ludwigsen/Paciello) told DeRosa that he had stopped hanging out with Reynolds and Joseph Calco because they were "nuts," prosecutors Jim Walden, Chris Blank and Greg Andres said in court papers.

Calco (right) and five other cooperating witnesses, including one involved in the Shemtov murder, James Calandra, are also ready to testify that Paciello was part of the robbery team that killed Shemtov and involved in a $300,000 bank burglary in December, 1992, according to court papers.

Paciello, 29, is charged with being a member of a crew of more than a dozen wiseguys and associates who dealt drugs and committed robberies and murders during the early 1990's under Bonanno consigliere Anthony Spero.

Except for Spero, who is scheduled for trial next year, and Paciello, all have pleaded guilty to a variety of crimes including racketeering, drug dealing and murder.

Little Dom (right) visited Gotti at his Little Italy headquarters, the Ravenite Social Club, a couple of times a week to take action from the Dapper Don -- who reputedly wagered upwards of $60,000 on a single sporting event.

Curra, now 56, even made one of the FBI highlight videos that were played at Gotti's 1992 racketeering trial, where Gotti was convicted of five mob murders, including the assassination of his predecessor Paul Castellano.

As a June, 1990 Ravenite meeting of a dozen or so capos was breaking up, a bunch of them could be seen standing around waiting to kiss their boss goodbye as he chatted with Curra. Only after Curra left -- undoubtedly to call one of the network of bookies he used to lay off some of Gotti's wagers -- did the capos dare to bid Gotti adieu.

The following year, Curra was snared in a Baltimore-based FBI undercover investigation, convicted of federal bookmaking charges, and served 15 months in prison.

In his recent bust, Curra, and two others, all associates of Gambino soldier Charles Carneglia, (left) were charged with trying to sell forged or stolen artwork, including two phony Picassos, for about $35 million.

In addition, the men, who include the owner of an offshore Internet gambling operation, allegedly tried to sell a fake Chagall, a canvas falsely attributed to Colombian artist Fernando Botero, and a stolen painting worth about $2000.

The scheme suffered from poor quality art and even poorer planning, authorities said, noting that the prospective buyer the defendants sought out was a federal informer.

Curra and the others, Kevin McMahon and Robert Walsh, were arrested on fraud charges two weeks ago. They face five years if convicted, said assistant U.S. attorney Julie Myers.

Bruce Cutler, the lawyer/friend who always champions Gotti's cause, visited him last Thursday and Friday. Contacted yesterday, the usually outspoken Cutler said: "I will not make a statement about this subject at this time."