Nov 29, 2007
PI who broke Fay case publishes book
‘It made my jaw drop’
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He’s been on Larry King and many other news programs. He’s covered major national crime cases. He’s handled murders and vicious divorces.
But no case dumbfounded private investigator Vito Colucci like his investigation of former St. John Roman Catholic Parish pastor, the Rev. Michael Jude Fay, in the spring of 2006.
Fay, who pled guilty to stealing millions from parishioners in September, was initially investigated by Colucci, who was hired by former priest Michael Madden and former parish bookkeeper Bethany D’Erario.
“It was so amazing, so off the charts. It made my jaw drop,” he said.
Colucci’s new book, “Inside the Private Eyes of a PI,” covers his experience with the Fay case as well as many other cases.
While the Fay case was shocking in the lack of accountability by the former pastor, Colucci said it was also one of his easiest cases.
“It was a lot of hours and figuring out finances, but it was easy,” he said.
So easy, in fact, that it makes the private investigator continue to be skeptical of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s insistence it was handling the Fay issue before it hit the media.
“All anyone had to do was walk into that parish office and look at one American Express bill and see $6,000 for limousines,” he said.
So far, Colucci said his book has been getting rave reviews from even those that don’t necessarily enjoy reading.
“They tell me they’ve already finished the book in one day, that they couldn’t put it down.”
The book, which is available at Barrett Bookstore in Darien and on amazon.com, mixes stories of the gritty word of private investigation with some humor. One story, which tells of a wronged wife who attacks her cheating husband during a surveillance ride-along, explains why Colucci no longer lets spouses on those trips.
Divorces make up approximately one third of Colucci’s business. It is a figure that he is not happy about.
“Do we enjoy it? No. I don’t want to see anyone get divorced. It is not enjoyable, but it is a necessity of this certain type of work, you have to do it,” he said.
Often, the divorce attorney hires him once the divorce is in process to make sure money is not being hidden. Other times, a spouse will hire him to discover infidelity. Colucci said that many of the divorce cases he handles are from Darien.
In writing the book, Colucci said he was inspired by the interest many people show in his profession.
“When I am at a party or something, and I tell people what I do, people say that they always wanted to be a private detective.”
Colucci said part of the book’s success is that it is about being a private investigator and it could be written by anyone.
“It is not just because it is me, people are intrigued because they love that business.”
In response to the Colucci book, diocese spokesman Dr. Joseph McAleer restated the diocese’s position on the Fay issue.
“As the independent report, issued by Deloitte Financial Services LLP on financial wrongdoing at St. John Parish, documents in exhaustive detail, the Diocese of Bridgeport acted expeditiously to protect parish finances and communicate fully to parishioners and the community at large. We notified the civil authorities immediately of suspected financial impropriety, provided to every parishioner the Deloitte report, and met the requirements of Church law regarding the removal of Father Fay,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Darien Times.
Colucci said he continues to be fascinated by the Fay story. He said after the news broke about the financial misdeeds at St. John’s, people from other parishes called to ask him to look into their churches. He said no, saying that looking into priests was not his ultimate goal.
“I’m not a roving priest buster,” Colucci said.
On the Web: coluccipi.com and bridgeportdiocese.com
E-mail Darien Times reporter Susan Shultz at
sshultz@darientimes.com.
Previously on DarienTimes.com
No delay for Fay
Thu Nov 15
Fay seeks delay in sentencing
Tue Oct 16
Father Fay admits it
Thu Sept 13
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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