The failed murder-for-hire of a Connecticut businessman was the latest in a string of botched jobs orchestrated by a Genovese gangster who’s long been in league with the feds, a criminal crony testified yesterday.

Michael Cooks said his first caper with Joseph Barone, who divulged his informer status as part of a defense strategy, involved a home invasion to rob $80,000 that Barone said was stashed in a freezer.

But there was no cash. Cooks testified at the Manhattan federal trial of Barone and Anthony Piliero, who are charged in a plot against Piliero’s ex-partner.