A prosecutor whose hard-charging tactics were the subject of bitter debate during the race for Brooklyn DA has no regrets about the way he pursued criminals and justice.
“Every witness is different,” said Michael Vecchione, who retired last month after former DA Charles Hynes was ousted by Ken Thompson.
“Some witnesses you have to hold their hands and stroke. Other witnesses you have to get a little tougher. You have to be tough with someone and say, ‘Look, we know that you did XYZ and you’re going to testify to what you did,’ ”
Vecchione’s track record became a key issue in the acrimonious DA’s race, when Thompson called on Hynes to fire the rackets chief for intimidating and coercing false testimony from witnesses and “botching one case after the next.”
Vecchione, 63, and Hynes, 78, are defendants in a $150 million lawsuit filed by Jabbar Collins, who was convicted in 1995 of killing a rabbi but who was released in 2010 amid allegations of misconduct by Vecchione.
According to the suit, Vecchione covered up a witness’ recantation. It also claims another witness said Vecchione threatened to hit him or lock him up if he didn’t testify against Collins.
Vecchione said he couldn’t speak specifically about the Collins case because of the ongoing litigation. But he says that in his career he’s never crossed the line.
“Do I then say, ‘And if you lie, I’m going to lock you up,’ or, ‘If you don’t testify, I’m going to lock you up?’ ” Vecchione asked. “Absolutely never.”
Collins declined to comment, but two federal judges have blasted Vecchione’s handling of the case.
Vecchione was also under fire when a case against an allegedly rogue FBI agent was dropped.
Prosecutors had said the agent, Lindley DeVecchio, leaked sensitive information to his prized Colombo crime-family source Gregory “The Grim Reaper” Scarpa that lead to four gangland murders
But the case fell apart in the middle of the 2007 trial when tapes of Scarpa’s mistress revealed the mobster’s moll saying DeVecchio had nothing to do with the murders.
“When you swing and miss, that’s part of the business,” Vecchione said. “I have never in my life held back exculpatory evidence.”
Thompson declined to comment.
Vecchione is teaching law now at three local universities and plans to write his memoirs.