Mia Farrow's Vanity Fair Interview References 1997 Connecticut Magazine Article

by Ray Bendici

(page 4 of 7)

During the Allen investigation, Maco received a warning from a high-ranking state police official.

“He [Maco] was told,” says a retired officer, “that the Allen people were hiring private detectives to try and get some dirt on us.”

One of their key targets was Sgt. John Mucherino, a primary investigator for Maco. They wanted to know if Mucherino was a drinker or a gambler, if he had any marital problems.

Allen’s private detectives were compartmentalized, hired by different lawyers and subcontractors working for him, police say. The private detectives included former FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration agents, even former state cops who were friends with Mucherino.

One private investigator says he met with Allen’s top criminal lawyer, Elkan Abramowitz. “Abramowitz had an aura about him; he was very charismatic,” the detective said. “I worked for Woody Allen, but I have a personal code.”

The detective said he alerted Mucherino to the nature of the inquiry, then filed a report and received a substantial fee.

Abramowitz has denied meeting with private detectives on the case, although he acknowledged 10 or more worked for Allen. “We didn’t go into any kind of smear campaign against the police,” he says.

The prying took its toll on Maco. “It was after that that I saw a big change in him,” says investigation team member Frank D’Amico, a retired police officer. “He was tense for a long time. He just took more precautions with everything he did.

“They were just trying to disrupt the case. We all know today, in light of O.J., that if you have nothing to go on, you go after law enforcement.”

D’Amico says the Allen team played a number of dirty tricks. Other law enforcement officials suspect that they had something to do with the false rumor that a top police investigator on the Allen case was trying to sell a videotape of Dylan to the tabloid media.

The state police immediately began an internal affairs investigation of ths trooper, who was cleared. Former Chief State’s Attorney Austin McGuigan said the allegations had to affect “the investigator’s ability to do his job.”

“The investigation closed down for about 10 days,” Maco recalls. “About this time, I was told there was a campaign to disrupt the investigators, being orchestrated out of New York.

“If anyone was watching me or following me,” he says, “I’m sure it was one of the most boring assignments they ever had. But just the thought concerns you, that somebody somewhere might be watching what you’re doing after you leave the office.

“The word on the street was, ‘Maco’s office is beyond reproach, but we have Maco covered.’ I took it as someone saying I could have been dirty. That stays in your mind. That made it more important for me to explain my decision so people would know it was not based on my being dirty, but on a methodology that is proven.”