The extensive personal archive of late investigative journalist and former NYPD detective John Connolly is up for sale, offering a deep dive into decades of Hollywood secrets. This massive collection includes notebooks, tape recordings, and private correspondence. Per Page Six, it is managed by his longtime partner, music industry veteran Dorothy Carvello, who is looking for ways to bring this material to the public, including potential film and television projects.
Connolly was a major figure in investigative reporting long before his work on the Jeffrey Epstein case. He is most famous for co-authoring the 2016 book titled Filthy Rich: A Powerful Billionaire, the Sex Scandal that Undid Him, and All the Justice that Money Can Buy: The Shocking True Story of Jeffrey Epstein.
His career, however, was defined by his role as one of the most intimidating writers in the entertainment industry. He produced high-impact exposés on figures such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Jackson, Heidi Fleiss, and Steven Seagal for major publications.
The collection includes not just his findings but the reactions to them too
Carvello is currently working with an unnamed attorney to navigate the future of this massive cache. The collection contains everything from legal threat letters to computers and published stories. Carvello noted that Connolly frequently dealt with aggressive legal pushback during his career.
“His arch nemesis was Marty Singer, and he used to joke about letters as long as books that he received from him.” she explained. She also expressed that the time has come to release the materials, suggesting that the public interest in these records is similar to the demand for the Epstein files. Considering the new allegations around Michael Jackson, she may have a point.
Somewhere in that archive there’s probably a folder labeled “Seagal” that’s thicker than most people’s rap sheets. Can’t wait for the Netflix doc.
— Fx_Kvng (@MuteHumble) May 11, 2026
Some of the most interesting items in the collection involve the defense of powerful stars against Connolly’s reporting. For instance, the archive includes letters from actresses like Rita Wilson, Kelly Preston, and Jamie Lee Curtis, all written to support Schwarzenegger before Connolly’s 2001 piece titled “Arnold the Barbarian.”
In that story, Connolly detailed allegations of groping and extramarital affairs. Curtis wrote to the reporter and his publication, stating, “Your smear campaign failed… He has a ribald sense of humor and sense of play but never in the time of my relationship with him has he ever shown me anything like the behavior you describe in your politically motivated hatchet job. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
Former NYPD officer-turned-private investigator is selling a vast archive of surveillance materials, posing a potential risk to Hollywood figures named in the files. The meticulous records could expose embarrassing or incriminating details, making this case a notable threat to…
— War Intel (@war_intell) May 11, 2026
Beyond the celebrity drama, Carvello has used the archive to clear up long-standing industry mysteries. She confirmed that Connolly was the person behind the pseudonym Celia Brady, the feared gossip columnist for Spy magazine.
Connolly’s work was often dangerous, and Carvello shared that Steven Seagal once allegedly “put out a hit” on him, which was only stopped because a contact within the Gambino crime family warned the journalist. Despite such intense pressure, Carvello emphasized that Connolly remained unfazed by the threats he received.
Hollywood stars will be shaking in their boots as vast archive of feared NYPD cop-turned-takedown artist goes on sale https://t.co/uFYT7xJX4S
— Julie Christian (@jchristian61) May 11, 2026
“He was never afraid of anyone who threatened him about writing stories,” she said. At the time of his death in 2022 at the age of 78, Connolly was working on a book about private eye Anthony Pellicano titled “The Sin Eater,” which is also included in the archive.
