Original subtitles

.

- In the criminal justice system,

sexually based offenses

are considered especially heinous.

In New York City, the dedicated detectives

who investigate these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

- [groaning]

- These are coming pretty close together.

I think it's time to head to the hospital.

- But the last one didn't even last a full minute.

- You've been in labor for over 48 hours.

I'm getting worried.

- I just--I don't want to go all the way

to the hospital for them to send me home

because it's too soon.

Okay, let's, uh--let's just-- let's watch a movie.

Um, and then--and then we can see how I feel after.

Yeah, it's... [exhales deeply]

Do you--do you like rom-coms?

- Natalie...

listen...

I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to you.

Just--please.

Please.

Let's go to the hospital.

I will be there with you the whole way.

I promise.

- You are so sweet.

I don't know what I would do without you.

* *

Okay.

Hospital.

Let's do it. [chuckles] - Yeah.

- I'll get my go bag.

- I'll call a car.

- Okay.

[grunting]

Okay.

[dramatic music]

* *

Anika.

Oh, my God!

Anika!

It's him.

- What do you mean "it's him"? - It's--it's him.

He's--he's here. He's outside.

- What? Are you sure? - Yes.

- Where is he? Which one?

You're positive you saw him?

[object shatters, door opens]

Natalie?

* *

Natalie, where are you?

* *

Natalie!

* *

[cell phone beeping]

I need police right away.

I think my client was kidnapped by her rapist.

- Just one second, sorry. [engine turning over]

She's back.

Hey, Rollins.

- Hey, yourself, Tran.

Thank you.

So what have we got?

- Vic's name is Natalie Tanzillo,

34 years old, in active labor.

She told her doula she was being stalked by her rapist.

No name or visuals for our suspect yet,

but I got officers canvassing a 2-mile radius.

They found this on the street-- her phone.

Perp must have chucked it.

- I'm sorry. She's in active labor?

- Doula says she's about to pop.

- All right, get us access to subway cams, traffic cams,

and grab any Ring footage these neighbors might have.

- That your new partner? - Yeah.

- Well, you know about her, right?

[clicking tongue]

She was a rat.

Rat, Internal Affairs.

Come on, I thought that was

a pretty good rat impersonation.

- I've worked with her before. Curry's solid.

- Cool, very cool. Just, you know, looking out.

- What, so she's giving birth to a stillborn baby

that's a product of a rape?

- I know, right? It's a lot.

She wanted me to coach her through the early stages

of labor until she had to go to the hospital to deliver,

but it's taken a while.

- And she never told you who raped her?

- Just that she knew him through work

and he stalked her for months.

It's why she got this sublet. This isn't even her apartment.

I-I have no idea how he found us. I--

- So how long until she gives birth, do you think?

- Could be a day. Could be five minutes.

Listen, Natalie has a lot of underlying conditions--

eclampsia, placenta previa.

If she delivers without a doctor, she could bleed out.

- Okay. - Thank you.

* *

[dramatic music]

.

- Police are asking the public to be on the lookout

for a pregnant woman

abducted from a Chelsea apartment earlier today.

- According to the doula,

Natalie is pretty much on her own.

She's got no family in the area,

doesn't seem to have the support of her friends.

- And she never reported the rape?

- Checked the open 61s. Nothing's there.

- Okay, so all we have is a time frame.

We know that the assault happened 20 weeks ago.

- Right, and Natalie did tell Anika

that she and the perp had worked together.

I checked employment records.

Natalie has no W-2 income for the last two years.

- All right, Transit Bureau just flagged

this subway surveillance.

Okay, so that's Natalie

entering the 23rd Street C and E station.

- Mm-hmm.

- This is from about half an hour ago.

I can't tell who she's with.

But Transit Bureau's tracking every step

on every connecting line to pick up their trail.

- But we can't wait for that. So Bruno and--grab Griff.

- Griff's in Phoenix. NCMEC conference.

- Right. Okay.

You see if you can track down any of Natalie's family.

You two head to her apartment and see if you can pull

anything that might tell us where she's working

within our 20-week time frame. - Yeah.

- She kept track of how many glasses of water she drank,

how many steps she clocked,

and how many times she practiced calligraphy,

but not a single thing in here about work.

- [groans]

This girl's been through the wringer.

- It's brutal. - Yeah.

There's a card in here, though.

Maybe it's a friend we can actually contact.

- Mm. How does it feel being back?

- Well, this is a tough case to walk into,

but I'm good. [camera shutter clicks]

- Officer Tran was happy to see you.

- Yeah.

He's got a big mouth, but he's harmless.

I'm--I'm happy with the current setup.

No issues for me. - Me neither.

Yeah, he's just mad

'cause I jammed up a buddy of his for taking bribes.

- It sucks to suck. - Yeah.

Got an ultrasound printout

and a couple of reimbursement checks

from a place called Wheels for Pups.

That sound like a nonprofit? - Yeah.

Volunteering would explain no W-2 income.

- Mm. [camera shutter clicks]

[doorknob rattles]

- You hear that?

- Sounded like a key in the door.

[tense music]

* *

- [sighs]

- Natalie?

Tanzillo?

- We're with NYPD SVU.

Are you hurt?

- Um, uh...

I don't think...

Oh, God.

- Oh.

- Oh, God.

- Okay, okay, okay.

- Central, this is Curry with SVU.

Missing female-- - It's okay, breathe.

Breathe.

Okay.

Okay. We got you. - Okay.

- We got a pregnant woman in active labor, high risk,

heading to Northwell Greenwich. - No.

- ETA, 10. - No, no Northwell, not there.

- Natalie, just focus on your breathing.

Okay, we got to get you to the closest hospital.

- No! No, stop. There's--there's a doctor.

He--I don't trust--

I don't trust Northwell Greenwich. Please.

Please, anywhere but there. Please.

- Um, hey, try NewYork-Presbyterian.

We'll, uh-- we'll meet you there.

- Hey, what's the story?

- She's with the doc now.

Wasn't in any shape to tell us anything.

- She just walked in alone? - Yeah, no apparent injuries.

Besides being in labor, she seemed fine.

- Patient's ready for discharge.

- Excuse me.

I'm Captain Benson, SVU.

Are you discharging Natalie Tanzillo?

We were told that she was at risk for bleeding out.

- I recommend you talk to her yourself.

- Natalie.

Natalie, I'm Captain Benson from SVU.

Should you be standing up?

Um, hey.

Are you okay? Tell me what happened.

Why--why are they sending you home?

- Um, I...

I don't--I don't know.

I don't understand.

- Hey, do you need to sit down or--

- No.

No.

'Cause I... [exhales deeply]

I felt it. I fe--

I felt it, but, um, the doctor, he's--

the doctor...

I don't--I don't even know how to tell you.

- You know what?

Um, d-did you deliver the baby?

You know what? Let me--let me bring the doctor back in here.

- No, no, no. I-I have to go.

- What happened to-- what happened to the baby?

- There wasn't one. That woman was never pregnant.

[tense music]

.

- [distant siren whoops, engine turning over]

- Natalie.

Hey.

- Uh, hi.

Um, can I--can I just have a bit of space?

Um, I'm just--I'm kind of going through a lot right now.

- Right. I don't-- I don't want you to think

that you're in any kind of trouble, because you're not.

I just--I'm here 'cause-- 'cause I want to help.

- That doctor, he told me to talk

to a psychiatrist, but I swear that I'm not crazy.

- Natalie, after a big trauma

like--like the one you went through,

the--the--the body and the mind can, uh,

come up with very powerful

and creative ways to cope,

ways that can feel very, very real.

- You--you've seen this before?

- What I've seen is victims of sexual assault

try to hide from what happened, right,

when real healing comes

from facing what happened.

Why don't we go and-- and talk about this, okay?

- Wait. No, I'm sorry. I just--I want to go home.

I'm--I'm sorry that I--

I'm sorry that I made everybody worry.

- Natalie, whatever-- whatever happened today...

the man that did this to you is still out there.

Okay? - I know. I know.

I--look, you're right.

But I just--I can't deal with this right now.

- It's okay. - I'm sorry.

- I'm gonna give you my card, okay?

I'm gonna give you my card.

This is, um--this is my personal number on the back.

Call me anytime, okay?

- You are such a good person.

Thank you.

- Okay. All right.

There you go.

- Thank you.

[tense music]

* *

- So pseudocyesis can happen to victims of sexual assault,

but it's just extremely rare.

I mean, I don't know.

- How'd the doula miss a fake pregnancy?

- Well, they're not medical professionals.

And at 20 weeks, given Natalie's build,

I mean, even we bought it.

- Something's not tracking for me.

You know, we found an ultrasound image

at Natalie's apartment.

And if she was never pregnant, where'd she get it?

- I could find you 3 million ultrasounds

on Google right now. - Exactly.

So she sought it out, she printed it up,

knowing it wasn't hers?

- But if she really believed that she was pregnant--

- Why go through the trouble?

Look, I'm not saying that the assault didn't happen.

My own sister faked a pregnancy after an assault.

Maybe Natalie just needed help, and she thought

that this was the only way she could get it.

- Just keep pulling that thread.

Any--any luck tracking down

Natalie's history of employment?

- Wheels for Pups confirmed Natalie was a volunteer

within our time frame, but get this.

Her supervisor, Eduardo Perreira...

he's got a record-- indecent exposure.

- Okay, a misdemeanor or violation?

- I'm still working on getting the case files unsealed.

- Okay, so head to his office and see what you can find out.

- Can I bring a buddy? - Yeah.

- Um, you go ahead.

I'm gonna try and track down this baby gift,

see if we can figure out who gave it to her.

- Great. I'm driving.

- I'm sorry. - All good.

- Old habits. [chuckles]

- By the way, if you want your old spot back--

- No, no, no. I'm--I'm good.

Got a clear view of the exit. - Already trying to ditch us?

- [chuckles] No, in feng shui,

this is what they call the command position.

- You learn something new every day.

[dogs barking]

- Natalie was here for almost a year.

But, honestly, she wasn't the most reliable.

A lot of absences with, frankly, lame excuses.

- Define lame.

- Uh, mystery illnesses that suddenly got cured.

Then her mom was sick,

and she had to take care of her.

- Other people around here have the same experience?

- People think she's sweet and all, I guess.

- She ever have any issues with her supervisor?

- What did she say he did?

- Can't really get into details.

- For the record, Eduardo's a stand-up guy.

Everyone here loves him.

Whatever Natalie said,

I would take with a monster grain of salt.

- There we go. Easy-peasy.

- Eduardo Perreira. Captain Curry.

This is Detective Bruno with the NYPD Special Victims Unit.

Can we chat? - Uh, of course.

Everything okay?

- Just want to ask you some questions

about Natalie Tanzillo.

Can you tell us what your relationship was like with her?

- "Relationship"?

I mean, she volunteered here a couple months back.

Why? - Were you arrested in 2010?

- What does that have to do with Natalie?

- Do you want to tell us what happened?

- I was a dummy 19-year-old freshman rushing to frat.

They--they dared me to streak through a quad.

Someone reported me, and I...

My dad knows a couple people in the DA's office.

The charges were dropped.

- If you're glossing over any of the finer details,

we will find out. - I'm married...

to my husband.

Look, honestly, I felt sorry for her.

She told me something bad had happened to her,

but she didn't say what exactly.

I thought she might have had,

like, a miscarriage or something.

- When was this?

- When we first met, maybe a year ago.

- Never get old, Lilly. - [laughs]

- One day you're playing Rachmaninoff,

and the next, you got hooves for hands.

- Lilly Braider.

Hi. I'm Captain Benson. This is Sergeant Rollins.

We're from the Special Victims Unit.

- Should I be worried? - No, not at all.

We just wanted to ask you some questions

about Natalie Tanzillo.

- Think you can manage without me?

Okay.

- So you were a friend of Natalie's?

- Uh, no, I wouldn't say that.

- But you did buy her a baby gift?

We--we traced a-a custom onesie to your credit card,

purchased eight months ago.

- I wasn't her friend. I was her doula.

- Oh, so Natalie was pregnant eight months ago?

- No. I-I wouldn't say that.

Um...

is she under investigation?

- Why would you say that?

- Look, whatever she said happened to her,

if she told you she was pregnant,

if she told you she was raped, don't believe any of it.

Natalie is not a victim. She's a predator.

[dramatic music]

* *

.

- She told me she had been raped

and that the baby was stillborn,

that she was all alone.

I just felt so sorry for her.

And it's sort of custom in the doula community

to provide compassionate support pro bono,

so I didn't charge her.

- How did you, uh, find out that the pregnancy wasn't real?

- Once the labor started...

it was just this marathon.

Hours and hours of contractions.

And then they'd stop.

And then as soon as I said I was going home to sleep,

they would start up again.

And I-I cooked for her.

I helped her dress.

I helped her bathe.

[voice breaking] So disgusting. I can't believe I fell for it.

- So, Lilly, if...

Natalie did anything that was inappropriate,

that's--that's 100% not your fault.

She was manipulating you.

[dramatic music]

- On the third night, she...

was like, oh, my feet hurt.

Could you help me with this ointment?

So I was rubbing it on her feet.

And then she said she wanted it on her thighs, too.

And then her hand started...

moving,

touching herself between her legs.

And she started, like...

moaning.

I couldn't move. I just felt really trapped.

And Natalie could tell that she had crossed a line

because she kept rambling on how she read somewhere

that stimulation could induce labor, but I-I don't know.

I-I just packed up and left.

- So, Lilly, what you're describing

is--is sexual abuse.

- No.

It was really messed up, but it wasn't that.

- It's exactly that.

- Imagine hearing a story like this,

except switch the sexes.

Your friend tells you that a man did this to her,

what are you gonna tell her?

* *

- She's done this to someone else, hasn't she?

To another doula. That's why you're here.

How many?

- To be honest...

we didn't know it was a pattern until we--we talked to you.

- Um, there's a message group

with other doulas here in the city.

I can send a message if you think that would help.

- That would be very helpful.

[breathes deeply]

- So she's conning doulas

into coaching phantom pregnancies?

What the hell does she get out of this?

- Victims. She's found women who aren't medically trained,

no supervision, and a lot of time alone.

It's sex offenders 101.

- She's like a-- an empathy vampire.

I mean, she feeds off of it.

She makes up a ton of trauma,

and then she finds women whose job it is

to be empathetic and compassionate and helpful,

and then she takes advantage of them

for her own sexual gratification.

- Remember when Natalie didn't want the ambulance

to take her to Northwell Greenwich?

What do you want to bet she's a frequent flyer there?

They know her scam.

- Well, not to channel my husband,

but charging her is gonna be tricky.

- Lilly's case is straightforward.

- Right.

But it is also true that one way to start labor

is to have an orgasm.

- There was no baby. There was no labor.

- They will argue that she thought

that she was pregnant.

Look, Lilly and Anika worked for free,

when they could have taken on real paying clients.

So Carisi could charge her with financial fraud.

But I want to charge her as a predator.

[knock on door]

- Captain, some women were asking for you.

They're doulas.

[tense music]

* *

Wow, so...

so you all know Natalie Tanzillo?

- This is just who could make it here today.

There are more--a lot more.

* *

- Karina Harpole--

coached Natalie over FaceTime,

which is not an uncommon practice for doulas.

Natalie kept her on the phone for 12 to 14 hours

for almost a week.

And then Karina threatened to call 911,

so she finally agreed to go to the hospital.

A couple hours later, she tells Karina

that she's been sexually assaulted by the paramedic,

right, on the way to the hospital because--

because of course.

- Is this woman for real?

- Three doulas, including Karina,

report that Natalie masturbated while FaceTiming them.

- Uh, Lydia Guerrera said that Natalie fell in the shower.

When she rushed in to help,

Natalie was on the floor rubbing her nipples.

She said that she heard that it could induce labor.

- And she used the same, uh, defense on a handful of others.

I mean, Carisi, this is 30 doulas

that were hired under the same false pretenses

and 7 counts of sexual abuse.

I mean, that's--that's got to be enough data points.

- I can charge her with scheme to defraud.

That's a--that's a felony.

But the shower stuff is public lewdness maybe.

Again, misdemeanor.

- Neither of which are enough to get her on the sex registry.

- And because sex abuse one is tough.

Look, we need to prove forcible compulsion.

Did Natalie, at any point, force these women to touch her?

- Yeah, okay, so Lydia said that Natalie

tried to pull her hand towards her.

- I mean, I might be able to get a jury

to believe that that's forcible compulsion,

but you got half your victims here

on the record saying

that they're not even sure what they saw.

- Carisi, if Natalie were a man,

we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

He would've been on the sex offenders registry yesterday.

- You don't need to convince me.

I know she's a predator, but a jury's a different story.

All right? You all know the stats.

There is a reason that only 2%

of registered sex offenders are female.

- Yeah, and the sheer volume of women that Natalie victimized

proves that she deserves to be among them.

- What is the one constant

across all these victim statements?

- That the baby was stillborn. - No, that Natalie was raped.

And even the most mediocre defense attorney on the planet

will know to squeeze the word "assault"

for every teardrop of sympathy it's worth.

- Okay. Okay. So you tell me, what is our strategy now?

- You got to get her to corroborate

some of the details in these doulas' stories or--

or admit that she forced them to touch her.

- Natalie is smart.

The minute we try to lock her into a story,

she's gonna weasel her way out. - Mm-hmm.

- I don't know about that.

Liv's got a way of getting people to open up,

even the guilty ones.

Your superpower is empathy.

This time, use it as a weapon.

[suspenseful music]

* *

.

- So the precinct can get so chilly sometimes.

Here you go. - Thank you.

- Can I get you a blanket? - No, this is perfect.

Your office is--is so nice. - Oh, thank you.

You know, it's so important to me

to make everyone feel, you know, comfortable

and welcome and, you know, cozy.

[chuckles]

So, Natalie, I've been thinking a lot about you.

- Really? - Yeah.

I, um...

thinking about everything that you've been through

and how--how much courage it took.

And so I thought it would just be nice for us to, you know,

sit down and talk about how to help you

move into the next chapter of your life.

- [sighs]

That means so much to me.

Thank you, Captain Benson.

- You're welcome.

- God, you're so good at what you do.

- Oh, thank you.

And I have some incredible news for you.

- Yeah?

- We found the man who assaulted you.

- Oh.

W-wow.

- His name is Eduardo Perreira,

and you worked with him at the nonprofit.

- Um, yeah.

- And I have enough to arrest him,

and I'm gonna put him away for a very long time.

- [stammering] I'm so sorry, Captain,

but, um...

Eduardo didn't do anything.

He's a good man.

- Natalie, you don't have to be afraid of him.

- No, seriously, he...

he didn't-- he didn't do anything.

It's--it's not him.

- Okay.

- I'm sorry. It is a little chilly.

Could I--could I actually get that blanket, please?

- Oh, of course. - Thanks.

- Of course.

Here you go. Get it just right for you.

- Thanks. - Yeah.

Good? - Yeah.

- Good. Good.

So...

All right, your rape was eight--eight months ago, right?

- Um, five, actually.

- Five?

Oh, okay, so then-- then I'm a little confused.

Maybe you can help me clear this up.

So if--so if your rape was five months ago,

why did you hire Lilly Braider eight months ago?

- Lilly.

Why are you talking to Lilly?

- 'Cause, Natalie, look, like I said before,

when I have nothing to go on,

I have to dig into every single detail--

everything.

And like you so, you know, kindly observed,

I am--I am very good at my job.

- Yeah.

- Well, I-I found Lilly, um...

when I had a pregnancy scare.

- After a sexual assault?

Wait.

Wait, another one?

- I--you know, I-I can't remember.

- Oh, I know. And then, you know...

trauma affects our memories, right?

Natalie, I need you to dig deep here,

to dig really deep and tell me.

Were you raped five months ago or eight months ago?

Or a year ago?

Or 18 months ago, like another doula had said?

- Please, I-I-I don't like this.

- I know it's hard. It's so hard.

I-I get it.

But, listen, with truth...

comes trust.

And if you want someone to, you know--

to really care about you,

to really empathize with you...

then you have to be, you know...

actually honest.

So...

do you think--do you think you can do that for me?

[tense music]

* *

So, Natalie...

* *

Were you ever...

you know, really raped?

* *

- Would you mind getting me a little bit more tea?

It's really nice.

Is it vanilla?

* *

Thank you.

* *

- You know, people tell me that my superpower is--

is empathy.

But you know what else I'm really good at?

Noticing when someone's lying to my face.

And I know that you're doing that.

You were never sexually assaulted, Natalie,

and you've given me enough details to prove it.

- Why are you being so mean to me?

I am a victim.

- No, Natalie, you're not a victim.

You're an abuser.

And you targeted and used these women.

You used them for their empathy

and for their kindness

because you liked the way it made you feel.

But you're done.

You're done.

You're under arrest, Natalie. Get up.

* *

.

- Your Honor, I am handing up the indictment

and serving a copy on the defendant,

who is being charged with scheme to defraud, 30 victims,

and 7 counts of sexual assault.

- Defendant acknowledges receipt

and enters a plea of not guilty.

- Motions? - Yes, Your Honor.

Pursuant to CPL Section 250.10,

I'm giving notice of our intent to present psychiatric evidence

on the affirmative defense

of lack of criminal responsibility

by reason of mental defect or disease.

- And what specific defect are we talking about here?

- It's all there in Dr. Oshiro's report.

Dr. Oshiro, what were your conclusions

after your psychological evaluation of Natalie Tanzillo?

- It's my professional opinion that Natalie meets

the diagnostic criteria

for factitious disorder imposed on self.

- Now, can you please explain this disorder in layman terms?

- It used to be known colloquially

as Munchausen syndrome.

Someone like Natalie deliberately fabricates

or exaggerates physical symptoms,

driven by a psychological need

to adopt the role of a sick person.

- Would you call her a liar?

- No.

Uh, anything untrue she says is rooted in mental illness.

She has no awareness that her fabrications

can and do cause harm to others.

- And in your professional opinion,

can Natalie be held responsible for causing that harm?

- No.

A person with this disorder is so overwhelmed

by the compulsion that nothing else matters.

- Nothing further. Thank you, Doctor.

Your witness.

- Dr. Oshiro,

uh, in 30 years of practicing psychiatry,

how many patients have you treated?

Ballpark estimate's fine.

- Oh, I'd say close to 30,000. - That's impressive.

And, uh, of those 30,000,

how many have you diagnosed with factitious disorder?

- 5, including Ms. Tanzillo.

- 5 out of 30,000?

So factitious disorder really is that rare?

- It can be difficult to diagnose.

- Hmm. Are there any illnesses that have similar symptoms?

- It can sometimes be confused with malingering.

- "Malingering"? What is that?

- Well, malingering involves faking symptoms

for an obvious external reward, such as money,

avoiding work, or evading criminal charges.

- Could you give the jury an example

of, uh, the difference between the two?

- Say a child lies about being sick

to avoid taking a test at school.

That's malingering.

Now, if the child just wants to stay home

and be cared for or get attention for being ill,

that could be factitious disorder.

- "Could be"-- so even you're not sure.

Withdrawn.

Dr. Oshiro, you mentioned external rewards.

Can sexual gratification be an external reward?

- Yes, although that's-- - Thank you. That's all I need.

One more question.

You said evading criminal charges

can also be viewed as an external reward, correct?

- I did.

- Dr. Oshiro, in your professional opinion,

isn't that exactly what is happening

in this very courtroom? - Objection. Argumentative.

- Sustained.

- Nothing further.

[dramatic music]

* *

- Why would you tell multiple doulas

you were pregnant when you weren't?

- They were--

they were so nice...

so good to me, and I think I needed that--

to be taken care of.

But if I had known how much it was damaging them,

how much I was hurting them,

then I never would have done any of it.

- Now, Mr. Carisi will say

that you made up your pregnancies

in order to trick the doulas

into some sexual-gratification scheme.

Is there any truth to that? - Of course not.

I...

[sighs]

What I did was wrong, and I know that now.

You must think that it was sick of me

to do it in the first place, and...

I am so sorry.

I am sick.

I have an illness.

But I am--I am not a pervert.

- Thank you, Natalie.

No further questions, Your Honor.

- [clears throat] Ms. Tanzillo...

Of the 150 birthing doulas that you follow on Instagram,

how did you land on the--the ones you hired?

- Um...

I-I don't know. Uh, whoever seemed kind.

- "Seemed kind."

Um, more than half of them had under six months of experience,

so maybe they seemed gullible.

- Objection. Argumentative. - Sustained.

- Captain Olivia Benson

of the Manhattan Special Victims Unit

testified that you claimed to have been

sexually assaulted by a former coworker.

- I said that, but-- - An assault that you recanted

only after the detectives told you that they were prepared

to arrest your former supervisor.

- I-I would really like to-- - Let me finish.

Why didn't you just let Captain Benson arrest that guy?

- Objection. My client is not responsible

for deciding who does or does not get arrested.

- We all know why defense counsel doesn't want her client

to answer, Your Honor, but this is a proper question.

- The witness can answer.

- I'm--I'm so sorry. I-I forgot what the question was.

- Oh, I'm happy to remind you.

Why not just let the police

arrest your former boss for rape?

- Because he didn't do it.

- Who cares? - I do.

That would--that would be wrong, and--and to be clear--

- Wait, hold on.

I'm confused here, because didn't Dr. Oshiro say

that your disorder prevents you from knowing

your fabrications can and do cause harm to others?

That's what he said.

- He--he did, but--

- Thank you for answering the question,

Ms. Tanzillo.

I appreciate that.

Now, Lilly Braider testified

that after feigning labor for three days,

you asked her to rub your thighs.

Is that true? - Yes.

- And you were only wearing a thin covering

over your body that you tried to remove?

- I-I was wearing pajamas.

- Did you pull her hand or otherwise restrain her

while she was rubbing your legs?

- I don't remember ever doing that.

- Did you stimulate your genitals

in front of Ms. Braider?

- Dr. Oshiro said that was because of my illness.

- Your illness makes you masturbate

in front of a virtual stranger? - No, no.

They say that it can trigger contractions.

- "Contractions"? For a baby that you knew did not exist?

- But I wanted it to. - You wanted to have a baby?

- Dr. Oshiro said that it was part of my compulsion.

- No, no, again, Dr. Oshiro said

that people with that disorder

do not understand that their lies hurt others.

You do understand that.

- What is this, a psychology lesson?

- Ask a question, Mr. Carisi.

- Ms. Tanzillo...

why did you hire 30 doulas?

[dramatic music]

* *

- I just wanted to feel like somebody cared about me.

- And why'd you have them touch your body?

- I just...

I-I just liked how it felt.

- And is that why you stimulated yourself sexually

in front of them--because you liked how that felt, too?

- I don't--I don't-- I don't know.

- And is that not the definition

of sexual gratification at their expense?

- Objection.

- Withdrawn.

[dramatic music]

* *

Nothing further.

* *

[knock on door]

We got a verdict? - Not yet.

But Tanzillo's defense attorney is here to see you.

- Let her in.

What can I do for you? Sit--sit down, please.

- Feeling good? - Eh, I've been worse.

- [sighs] Jury's taking its time, isn't it?

- Well, I'm happy to wait 'em out.

- Sympathetic defendant, shaky felony charge at best.

You really think waiting it out's your best move?

- [scoffs] You know you don't have a home run either.

Otherwise, you wouldn't be here.

So what are you offering?

- My client pleads guilty on all counts of fraud.

- Okay, what about the other charges?

- No other charges.

She walks on all seven counts of sexual abuse.

Sex offender registry's off the table.

- You're selling me a ham sandwich,

and you're telling me it's a Reuben.

- [chuckles] - Come on, Andrea, really?

- Hmm.

I think it's kind of sweet this office hasn't killed

that twinkle in your eye just yet.

- Well, maybe I know what I'm up against.

And I don't think it's time to quit.

- One juror, that's all I need.

But 12?

Good luck with that.

- So what's with the surprise morning visit?

We got a verdict? - No. Um...

Vargas approached me with a deal--

guilty on all fraud counts... - Okay.

- If, uh--if we drop the sex-abuse charges.

- Are you kidding me?

What--and she gets off with what...

probation, a slap on the wrist?

- Yeah.

- Uh, Carisi, she abused 30 women that we know of.

And the real number is likely higher.

She is a predator... - Mm-hmm.

- Who is not going to stop until--until she's

on the registry list.

- Liv...

I need you to think about what happens

if the jury lets her off on all counts.

- Oh.

- How's that gonna make you feel?

- You really think that's where we are now?

- 2%, Liv.

Those are your odds.

And if we do this deal,

I should be able to get five years of probation.

So, if Natalie reoffends-- - And we know that she will.

- Yeah, and when she does, we'll lock her up

for the violation of probation and the new sex crime.

If she refuses to go on the registry,

then I will make sure she does five years for the VOP.

It's not my favorite ending...

but it's better than nothing. - [scoffs]

* *

- The People and the defense have reached an agreement?

- We have, Your Honor.

If the defendant pleads guilty

to all counts of scheme to defraud,

the People will drop the sexual-abuse charges.

- Ms. Tanzillo, on all charges

of scheme to defraud, how do you plead?

- Guilty, Your Honor.

- The court thanks the People and the defense for its time.

We are adjourned.

[dramatic music]

* *

- For what it's worth, Captain Benson,

I think you're an amazing police officer.

- Yeah, I am.

I'll see you soon.

* *

- Hey, congratulations on, uh, not murdering her

with your bare hands.

I think that showed real restraint.

- She'll be back. - Mm, we'll be waiting.

Till then, let me buy you a drink to cry in.

Come on.

* *

[wolf howls]