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| “ | You have a lot of time on your hands in prison. Checkers and Oprah only fill so much of it. You look for things to do. | „ |
| ~ Dwyer rationalizing running a blackmail scheme. |
Harold Dwyer is the main antagonist of the Law & Order episode "Silence". He is a con artist who blackmails closeted gay men, and who kills one of them after the man stops paying.
He was portrayed by Joe Aufiery.
Early life[]
Dwyer was a career criminal. specializing in petty, "short-con"-type scams. He also regularly cheated on his wife with a woman named Lisa.
He was finally arrested after stealing a car while impersonating a police officer and was sentenced to six years in prison. While he was incarcerated, he passed the time by running another scam: writing letters to closeted gay men through a prison pen pal program and pretending to be sexually attracted to them, and then, once they conveyed interest, threatening to out them unless they gave him money. He had his lawyer, Peter Colson, collect the money, and then deposit in an offshore checking account after taking his cut.
Eventually. however, one of his victims, New York City Councilman James Vogel, refuses to give him any more money, having decided to come out of the closet. After he got out of prison, Dwyer started turning up the pressure on Vogel by having Colson give Vogel's letters to a gay magazine to publish, increasing public speculation about Vogel's sexuality and robbing him of the opportunity to come out his own way.
Dwyer then called Vogel's father, Edward, a major power broker in New York City politics, and threatened to reveal that his son was gay unless he paid him. Edward, who was ashamed of his son's sexuality, agreed to pay Dwyer off, but when the younger Vogel found out about it, he confronted Dwyer personally. During the ensuing argument, Dwyer threw Vogel off a roof to his death.
"Silence"[]
While investigating Vogel's murder, NYPD Homicide Sergeant Phil Cerreta and Detective Mike Logan find out that he was in the closet, and that he was exchanging letters with Dwyer. He denies killing Vogel and directs them to Colson, who also denies having anything to do with it. Unconvinced, Cerreta and Logan investigate Dwyer and Colson's financial records, and discover monthly cash deposits to offshore bank accounts, all made by Colson's employees.
Executive Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone and Assistant District Attorney Paul Robinette try to build a murder case against Dwyer, and talk to another of his victims, George Harris, who refuses to testify but offers them a recording he made of Dwyer blackmailing him over the phone. They know they will lose without Harris' testimony, so they have Dwyer and Colson arrested and petition the trial judge to close the courtroom to the press and to shield Harris' identity, so he can testify without fear of being outed.
Stone charges Dwyer and Colson with second degree murder and grand larceny, and they plead not guilty. Harris testifies against Dwyer, and Stone makes a deal with Colson to testify against Dwyer. Colson reveals that murder occurred after the elder Vogel paid Dwyer off, but Edward threatens to ruin Stone's career if his son's sexuality becomes public knowledge, and then tries to persuade District Attorney Adam Schiff, whom he helped get elected, to drop the case as a favor. Schiff refuses, however, and threatens Edward with jail unless he testifies. Edward reluctantly testifies that he paid Dwyer off, and that Peter was killed shortly after threatening to go to the police. This gives the jury enough evidence to find Dwyer guilty of murder and grand larceny.
External links[]
- Harold Dwyer on the Law & Order Wiki
