Peter Limone, a Mafia soldier from the North End who just died at the age of 83, spent 33 of those years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit — because he was framed by the FBI.

Think about that the next time you see some talking head on TV pontificating from Washington about how the FBI is the world’s greatest law enforcement agency blah-blah-blah.

Think about Peter Limone, and his three innocent co-defendants, Louie Grieco, Henry Tameleo and Joe “the Horse” Salvati. Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity — yeah, right.

Grieco and Tameleo died in state prison. The only one who survives is Salvati. In 2007 Limone and the others (or their estates) were awarded $101.7 million by a federal judge, which sounds good for about two seconds until you remember the 33 lost years.

Before the trial began, Martorano had gone to the boss, Jerry Angiulo, and offered to tell the true story. But Angiulo figured it wasn’t necessary. Even Angiulo couldn’t imagine a jury believing Barboza, especially considering that Louie Grieco, a World War II hero, had been in Florida the night Deegan was murdered.

But the jury bought it, and Limone remained behind bars decade after decade until Martorano began cutting a deal of his own and a prosecutor probing FBI corruption in Boston got the old 1965 records proving the frame-up.

In 2003, at age 77, Rico was called before Congress and asked how he could frame four innocent men.

“What do you want?” Rico famously sneered. “Tears?”

A year later, Rico was dead in a prison hospital in Tulsa.

Limone at least died a free man, which is more than can be said of Rico. I called Martorano yesterday.

“He was a real man,” Martorano said. “He was old-school, a good guy.”

Forget James Comey. Peter Limone and H. Paul Rico — they are the real story of the FBI.