Tuesday, 15 August 1995 14:09

Raymond vs. Connick: Round One

More on the politics of Jim Garrison's successor to the New Orleans DA office, by Jim DiEugenio.


From the July-August, 1995 issue (Vol. 2 No. 5) of Probe

This is not the first time that Gary Raymond has crossed swords with his former boss, Harry Connick. When Connick came into office in 1974, Raymond was an investigator on his staff. By the time he left the department in the mid 1980's, he was his chief investigator. He then became a private investigator. Since one of Raymond's specialties was pedophile cases, Connick asked him to check out a case he had of a local priest who was sodomizing children and young adults. Gary checked out the materials, tapes and affidavits and recommended to the DA that he prosecute the case. Gary waited and waited. Nothing happened.

Meanwhile, Gary encountered one of the kids he had seen on the pornographic tapes, which the priest had been peddling. Raymond asked the boy if he wanted to talk for the record. He said that the priest had threatened his life if he did. Raymond then drew up a three page memo outlining the case and he forwarded it to Connick. Connick's assistant then told Gary that the DA was very angry about the memo. When Raymond asked why, the reply was that it left a paper trail. Connick had cut a deal with the archbishop in September of 1989. Later, Raymond saw Connick at a St. Patrick's Day parade. He asked the DA when the priest was going to be prosecuted. Connick put his finger in his chest and said, "He won't. Not as long as I am the DA. And you can't do a thing about it." Gary then went to Richard Angelico and he did a continuing five day series on what became the famous Father Dino Cinel child abuse case, in which the priest was making child pornography films in the rectory of St. Rita's Church. One of the series highlights was Angelico's interview with Connick. He asked the DA if he had made a deal with the diocese not to prosecute. He said he had because it would have been too difficult to track down and I.D. all the kids. Angelico had to remind Connick that the DA had gone before the legislature in 1985 and had the law changed so that mere possession of the material was a contraband charge. Connick had smugly stuck his foot in his mouth.

Find Us On ...

Sitemap

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.