But the two bet-takers apparently exaggerated their Mafia connections. "They're nobodies," a law enforcement source said.

The mob wanna-bes attended Cardinal O'Hara High School in suburban Philadelphia with Donaghy, who was a varsity standout on the school's basketball and baseball teams.

Donaghy, 40, has become the focus of the federal investigation into bets he allegedly made on NBA games, including some he officiated. The veteran referee, who earned $260,000 a year for whistling fouls on the hardwood, allegedly gave the bookies advance word on officiating crews of games they planned to take action on, the source said.

Donaghy is expected to surrender to the FBI by next week to plead guilty to gambling charges, federal sources have told The News. An educator at Cardinal O'Hara, who requested anonymity, confirmed the feds have identified two alums of the school as the bookies. He said both men graduated a couple of years ahead of Donaghy.

One of the men named by the school source refused to comment when contacted yesterday by The News.

"I'm not talking about anything," the man said. "Don't come on my property at all."

Donaghy has been holed up inside his two-story home in Bradenton, Fla., refusing to make any statements and claiming to be "the butler" when reporters knock on his door.