If they succeed in convicting him for ordering three murders and raking in tons of cash while heading a crew of wannabe wiseguys operating out of his Bath Beach, Brooklyn social club, he would be the first member of the Bonanno hierarchy -- boss, underboss or consigliere -- to go down on racketeering charges in 15 years.

Witnesses prosecutors have lined up include their most reliable high-echelon turncoat gangster of the 1990's, former Luchese acting boss Alfonse (Little Al) D'Arco, and the suicidal onetime Colombo consigliere Carmine Sessa, who beat and abused his wife after getting a new identity in the Witness Protection Program.

And on the eve of Spero's trial, a team of FBI, DEA and NYPD detectives even arrested a friend of the pigeon fancying Spero -- who sometimes speaks and acts a bit like a bird brain -- and tried to coerce him into becoming a stool pigeon. (See below.)

The last Bonanno biggies convicted of racketeering charges went to trial

Spero, who will be 72 in ten days, is charged with ordering three murders from 1990 to 1993, including the execution of a neighborhood thief who burglarized Spero's daughter Jill's apartment in 1991. A fourth murder charge was dismissed last week, shortly before jury selection process began. Opening statements are tentatively scheduled for Feb. 26.

The feds don't have tape recorded conversations of Spero ranting and raving about mayhem and murder, like the ones that helped convict Gambino boss John Gotti in 1992.

But the task for Spero, and lawyer Gerald Shargel, is still daunting. They must overcome testimony from eight mob witnesses.

Six, including Joseph Calco (left) and James Calandra, are young killers and drug dealers who will testify they did dirty work for him, including murders.

The other two, D'Arco and Sessa, (right) were Spero's contemporaries in the 1990's. They will testify to establish Spero's status in the Bonanno family and his control over gambling, loansharking, extortion and other family rackets

The pair last testified as prosecution witnesses in 1997 -- D'Arco (left) at the trial of Genovese boss Vincent (Chin) Gigante; Sessa against Genovese consigliere James (The Little Guy) Ida.

Since then, Sessa has been in court a few times in another criminal case -- his own.

In December, 1998, about 18 months after he was released from prison and given a new identity in the federal witness program, Sessa was arrested for beating his wife and stealing two guns from his son. Jailed in a witness unit, Sessa was treated for depression and suicidal tendencies. He admitted terrorizing his wife and pleaded guilty to gun charges.

After serving nearly two years, he was released from  prison three months ago to resume his career as a government witness. Among other things, Sessa will describe meetings with Spero to keep him up to speed on the bloody Colombo war in which 12 persons, including two innocent bystanders, died between 1991 and 1993. 

Gotti and former underboss Salvatore (Sammy Bull) Gravano will make electronic cameo appearances at the trial, courtesy of 12-year-old FBI tapes in which they discussed Spero's status as an important friend of theirs during strategy sessions above their former Manhattan headquarters, Ravenite Social Club.

Kufeld, 51, was intercepted as he walked out of a Brooklyn store by agents  armed with an arrest warrant but more interested in having him talk to them about Spero and other wiseguys, including Bonanno boss Joe Massino. (right)

Specific details of the conversations between the agents and Kufeld are in dispute, but federal sources confirm that the drug beef was used as leverage in an effort to gain Kufeld's cooperation.

Since then, Kufeld, who has heart disease, has spent six days in a hospital, undergone a catheterization, been prevented from speaking to family members, and been held on $250,000 bail, according to his former lawyer Ray Scotto and his current attorney Mathew Mari.

"We’re gonna arrest you on a narcotics charge, but we'd rather just talk to you," is how the agents began the dialogue, Mari told Gang Land.

"They threatened him with 10 to 20 years in jail, promised to take him to California and enroll him in the Witness Protection Program where he'd never have another problem for the rest of his life," said Mari.

"Finally, after he gets before a judge and is placed in the MDC

When Spero was arrested in 1999, the feds charged that Kufeld (left) helped Spero stay in touch with his mobsters by delivering messages to them at a Bath Avenue social club across the street from the Big Apple Car Service, owned by Spero's daughter Diane and where Spero keeps his prized racing pigeons in rooftop coops.

Kufeld has denied being Spero's messenger, and according to Mari, categorically denies being involved in any drug dealing. "About 18 months ago, an informant proposed a drug deal and told him to get back to him. Murray never intended to sell any drugs. He never got back to anyone."

But the feds certainly got back to him.