Original subtitles

- Aaron Wallace is the rat. - That would make the most sense.

Jamal!

We got a riot in the gym.

Shut the gate!

Three prisoners dead, another 36 seriously injured.

You're a novice, Ms. Masry.

Cyrus will be taking over until your hearing's concluded.

We might be able to use it to our advantage.

It looks just awful for Safiya Masry,

and it's got to roll downhill to her wife.

That girl who OD'd at the club. Lexi Richardson.

She's not just another witness. She's the reason it started.

And her father just so happens to be

one of Maskins' biggest donors.

Synced & corrected by -robtor- www.addic7ed.com

If I could have everyone's attention, please.

If I had to choose one word

to describe my friend Glen Maskins,

it would be "devoted."

He's devoted to his family.

He's devoted to the principles he lives by.

He's devoted to truth and justice.

What does that mean?

It means he fights.

As a Marine, he fought for his country in Kuwait.

As District Attorney here in the Bronx,

he fought to keep our streets safe.

He fought for victims,

and he fought for their families.

And as the next Attorney General,

he'll fight to ensure that New York has the most ethical,

intelligent, and nimble system of criminal justice

in the nation.

To do all that in a complicated world,

you need someone with values, with great judgment,

and most of all, with integrity.

Anyone who knows Glen knows he has all those things.

If you're innocent, you'll be given a fair shake.

But if you're guilty,

well, then get ready for the fight of your life.

Mm?

You hear anything about Jamal?

The body count hasn't changed. That's all I got.

What happened to all his stuff?

Anyone who went to the hole got their cell tossed.

No.

I found that thing you used to keep under your chair.

Got rid of it.

Am I gonna get my stuff back?

Warden says no.

I'm entitled to anything pertaining to my defense.

They took my file at intake.

It's a part of the lockdown.

I'm arguing for my retrial.

He can't just take my things like that.

You got the right to prep your witnesses

if they can get up here.

That's an order from the judge.

And you got the right to go to court,

but the prison's on lockdown for at least a week.

No visitors, no phone calls.

Can I get a pen and paper?

Pen's a sharp instrument.

Close Cell Four!

Lexi, I hear everything's going so well at the foundation.

I can't go anywhere without hearing your name.

Early education and college scholarships may be one thing,

but you know what we really need?

Lawyers.

If I lose, maybe I'll come knocking.

I'm sure my dad could give you a good reference.

Spencer, I can't tell you

how much I appreciate you hosting again.

- Polling average has you up two points. - Mm-hmm.

Margin of error's three. Some say five.

The Attorney General's gonna be pounding the pavement for us

the next few days.

You know how effective he is.

He told me he could be of help with Wallace.

Suggest you hear him out.

We've got that under control.

I don't think you do, Glen.

Hear him out.

We can't have Wallace spouting off to the press.

That's the main thing the next three days.

I've already worked that out with security at the courthouse.

And the judge is Sorensen?

She may be our biggest problem.

All right, let me see what I can do about that.

If you can pull that off...

Let me show you something.

That's Wallace assaulting Dawkins.

Courtesy of Cyrus Hunt.

Reach out to him.

Aaron Wallace was the prison rep

who helped drive him out of Bellmore to begin with.

Let's keep it very simple.

The police showed you a photo of me, only me,

and asked you if I sold you drugs.

And I felt pressure to say what they wanted

because they found a bag on me.

What's with the audio? I-I keep getting these glitches.

- It's new equipment. - I know it's new equipment.

I'm the one who had it installed.

Just get me more volume somehow.

You know, they keep calling me,

telling me if I say something different than last time,

it can be considered perjury.

No. These are different questions I'm asking you,

and you're telling the truth.

So don't listen to them.

Oh, I'm not, but I thought you should know

in case they're doing this to your other witnesses.

Yeah, can't say I'm surprised.

But we're good here.

Go get some rest for tomorrow.

And thank you.

Bring in the next one, please.

Ms. McDonald.

Thank you for coming all the way up here.

I really appreciate it.

Well, your wife really made it sound important.

And I've been following your story.

I've seen that website your daughter made for you.

- Mm-hmm. - I believe you're innocent.

Thank you. I don't get to hear that much.

Just never occurred to me that there was something wrong

with the District Attorney

coming to the hospital that night.

Well, it's because of what happened afterwards,

his relationship with the girl's father.

Now, remember, I'm calling you as a surprise rebuttal witness,

so you can't tell anyone you're doing this.

You have a deposition I took in a civil case a few months ago

in which a former Bronx ADA admitted that...

Hey, new protocol. Let's check in over here.

Just give me five minutes.

Come on, Joey. Five minutes.

Ma'am.

Hey, Aaron.

Did you arrange all this? Meeting me down here?

No, but I heard this was gonna be drop-off today.

Somebody doesn't want me talking to the press.

Listen, you need to know...

Cassius Dawkins thought you were a rat and put a hit on you.

Jamal convinced him he would do it.

That's how he got the shiv.

And then he turned it on Cassius

trying to protect me.

I know Hunt has the prison on lockdown,

but when that's over,

if Dawkins' crew spreads that you're the rat,

you're not gonna have any friends in there.

You need to put in for a transfer now.

Hunt can never sign off on that.

Just put the paperwork in.

And let me talk to the Board.

It was you who got me out to go to court.

Why are you doing all this for me?

Just do it now.

Okay?

Even with my help, it could take some time.

Everything all right?

Yeah. Fine.

- No Darius today? - No.

He wanted to be here Day One,

but he didn't want to be a distraction to you.

When this is over, he's got some things

he wants to talk to you about.

You switched judges?

Brought in someone who's gunning for me?

Come on. That's got nothing to do with us.

Governor makes judicial appointments.

You don't like it, move for an adjournment.

All rise! Court is now in session!

The Honorable Judge Reginald Cummings presiding.

Counselors.

You may be aware that the Governor

has elevated Judge Sorensen to the Appellate Division.

I'll be presiding over all further proceedings

in this matter.

I've already reviewed your briefs

and transcripts of the opening statements,

so let's get to it.

Mr. Wallace?

You have a deposition I took in a civil case a few months ago

in which Mr. Adam Yamada, a former Bronx ADA,

admitted that that office knowingly prosecuted cases

in which the NYPD used illegal

and unconstitutional identification procedures.

Objection, Your Honor.

Mr. Yamada admitted to one administrative oversight

in one case.

I have multiple witnesses who will testify

that they were shown only a single photo ID of me.

There's a pattern of...

There is absolutely no reason to call these witnesses.

Now, if Mr. Wallace had read People v. Zayas,

- he'd understand... - I read that case,

and this has nothing to do with that situation.

One photo, confirmatory ID.

If the complainant and the defendant know each other...

Or if there are exigencies.

Police and the DEA,

under the directive of the District Attorney's office,

were staking out my club for months

before they start pulling people over and searching them.

Stop and frisk becomes find a dime bag

becomes finger me off a single photo ID.

If you ask someone who's been arrested

with a bag of coke in their pocket,

scared out of their minds, if "This is the guy?",

of course they're gonna say "Yes."

There was no exigency,

no reason they couldn't have pulled me in for a lineup.

And tip off they were onto you?

They could've used a six-pack.

Instead, what they did was juice the process.

Mr. O'Reilly, are you conceding that the NYPD

did use a single photo to identify Mr. Wallace?

In certain instances, yes.

Call your witnesses, Mr. Wallace.

Let's hear the specifics.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I'm sure Wallace has put in for the transfer by now.

So what do you want me to do? Call Hunt?

Yes, Jerry, and pressure him to sign it.

It's not like I say "Jump" and the wardens all say "How high?"

Oh, don't sell yourself short.

You can be very persuasive when you want to be.

Let me know when it's done.

- Safiya. - Hmm?

I take it you haven't seen this.

"It's particularly controversial because of Wallace's ties

to former Bellmore warden Safiya Masry and her wife."

Where's Anya? Has she seen this yet?

She's on her way.

And she's not happy.

Someone released a video of you fighting in the riot.

Press is tying you to Masry and Anya Harrison.

It's a double-dip for Maskins.

How can they even do that?

Isn't it video evidence or something?

Is it even legal to leak something like that?

They don't play fair.

But we already knew that, right?

There's something else.

We lost the nurse.

She called me last night to say she was too scared.

They got to her, Aaron. Like we know they do.

- Cyrus Hunt. - Mm.

He fed them the intel.

Released the video, too.

It's surveillance from the prison.

- I-I wasn't expecting it... - And... And knowing that it existed,

you still went and advocated for Wallace at the Prison Board.

Well, that... that's never gonna come out.

I'm glad you're so confident.

You... You need to know

that I went to see him yesterday at Bronx Supreme.

I arranged it with the guards.

Nobody saw us,

- but I wanted you to know. - Oh, my God. What are you doing?!

He was in danger. I needed to warn him.

You had to do it personally?

I am responsible, Anya!

They sent Cassius Dawkins to Bellmore to get at me.

That's why he's in this situation.

And I'm in this situation because

you're more worried about him

- than you are your own family. - No.

This man is fighting for his life,

and you're talking about your PR?

Mom? Y-You're supposed to start your speech now.

Thank you, honey.

Okay.

Please welcome Brooklyn DA Anya Harrison!

Who is Aaron Wallace?

Who is Aaron Wallace?

Aaron Wallace is a drug kingpin

whose actions hurt young people and tore apart a community.

Make no mistake.

It's impressive that he managed to become a lawyer.

But when he uses that power

to mislead his fellow inmates and manipulate the system,

then we have a problem,

one made worse by the fact that my opponent's wife,

the former warden of his prison,

has allowed his shenanigans to continue.

That's right.

Anya Harrison's wife,

the woman who wrote a manifesto about closing prisons,

has cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars

letting this drug dealer go back and forth to court.

I can't believe he's doing this.

He's worked his whole life to get to this moment.

To play the race card?

You've seen the video.

Aaron Wallace is not the peaceful intellectual

the press portrays.

He is a hardened criminal.

All the way from Oakland?

Come on. What'd you think? I wouldn't come?

- Thank you. - Good to see you.

Thank you.

Looking good, my friend.

Wore the same suit. For good luck.

You came, too.

Of course.

We're here to support you.

I've already demonstrated

how the police coerced and manipulated witnesses

by only showing a single photo ID of me

and how the prosecution failed to disclose

that my club promoter was a criminal informant.

My question is, why?

Why was their approach toward me so aggressive?

My answer? I was targeted.

It's my contention that Mr. Maskins

has a history of rushing to judgment,

then hiding evidence and committing Brady violations

to ensure nothing interferes with his theories of guilt.

And you want to argue that this so-called rush to judgment

is due to racial bias.

Well, if you look at his overcharging patterns,

his sentencing, plea deals...

I have two witnesses who...

Objection, Your Honor.

Mr. Maskins has had a career spanning 26 years.

I don't see how he can cherry-pick three cases

and attempt to prove a pattern.

I can compare his record to DAs

in other boroughs, other counties.

The Bronx is almost 90% people of color.

He can't possibly make a fair comparison.

Easley Barton was tried in Long Island.

Mr. O'Reilly is correct.

This is a conversation you can go have with the voters,

not an argument for my courtroom.

If you would just let me call them,

hear what they have to say.

My position on this is clear, Counselor.

Mr. Barton, Mr. Rodriguez, you may go.

Your testimony will not be required by the court.

This judge.

Now, Mr. Wallace, assuming I accept your representations

and review the documents you've uncovered,

will this be the sum total of your arguments?

No, Your Honor.

Not without the evidence of a pattern.

I need to call one more witness.

And who would that be?

Her name is Lexi Richardson.

I don't see why Cyrus Hunt would even want Wallace at Bellmore.

I don't know, Safiya. He probably wants to torment the guy.

Given their history.

Well, given ours, I was expecting you to be more effective here.

I had some traction with the rest of the Board

till that video came out.

Now nobody's gonna bend over backwards

to put Wallace into a "safer" facility.

Hell, I had to fend off half of 'em

just to keep Wallace going to court.

This is a copy of the letter Jamal Bishop left

on Wallace's bed right before the riot.

And it proves that Wallace had no idea what Bishop was planning

and only went to the gym to stop the violence.

You kept a copy of this?

You think the Board has issues now?

But how will it look if he gets killed at Bellmore

a week after the riot?

? Can you

Is that Jamal?

Hey. Hold up there.

Hey! Hold up.

Let's give him a second.

If they're letting you back in here, that means you're gonna be all right.

Now, listen to me.

The second you can talk, OSI's gonna be comin' at ya.

They're gonna try and charge you for the hit on Cassius.

Now, all you got to say

is that you went after him to protect me.

You hear me?

Okay, we can build a defense around that.

Masry's out. Cyrus Hunt is back in here.

So I put in for a transfer. For both of us.

Now, this whole place is on lockdown.

I'm not gonna see you for a while.

This is it.

We got our plan, right?

All right.

Thank you.

Now, Ms. Richardson...

is it true you used to frequent my club?

And is it also true that you bought drugs there?

Why'd you buy those drugs in my club?

Why?

You can't stop this?

I talked to Glen,

and he's gonna personally oversee your testimony,

and this is gonna backfire on Wallace.

Well, I'm gonna have to talk about everything that happened.

What happened was this...

that man had a responsibility to you,

to all our sisters, all our daughters.

He was a member of the community,

and he was supposed to protect you.

Instead, he and his punks turned you on to drugs.

Do you know how close you were to dying that night?

For that, he should spend every day of his life

behind bars.

But what about my reputation?

And yours?

And everything we're trying to build here?

You were a kid.

You made some mistakes.

But that was a long time ago,

and you're an incredible woman now.

Someone who's making a difference.

That's what people know about you,

and nothing Wallace can say or do will change that.

We've gone through worse than this.

Who are you here for?

Jasmine Wallace.

She said it'll be about 10 minutes.

What are you doing?

We're looking at Lexi Richardson's social media.

If Dad's gonna question this girl,

there has to be something we can find out about her.

Like what?

If she was going to the club back then, at 18, doing drugs,

she must have been into other kinds of trouble.

It's for Dad.

So, this is an affidavit

from someone who went to school with Lexi?

Social media's the new PI, but it was Jazz and Ronnie.

It's rough.

This is how it all started.

You can't back down now.

Do what you got to do.

Yeah.

Wallace?

I need to talk to him.

You know I can't do that.

Can we get a word?

- What's he doing? - I don't know.

Listen, I don't want to have to call your daughter.

Then don't, if you have any self-respect.

All I want is a second chance to prove my innocence,

and they're doing everything within their power

to make sure I don't get a fair shake.

If you've been following this, you'd know that.

So now you have no choice but to bully and humiliate her?

This is an affidavit

from one of your daughter's high school friends.

According to her,

Lexi's been doing drugs since the 10th grade.

Now, she says Lexi always felt bad

because you told the DA

to go after the people who corrupted her.

But Lexi told you it was my people that got her hooked.

What does that have to do with anything?

Now, maybe Maskins went in too hard.

Maybe he saw how angry you were and smelled an opportunity.

What do you want?

Maybe it's time to admit

that you don't really know the whole story.

You want me to testify.

I want you to tell the truth.

About what went down that night.

Otherwise, I'm gonna have to make Lexi go through all that.

So, a year before my arrest,

your daughter used to frequent my club?

Yes.

She used to buy drugs there.

From Michael Miller, a former employee of mine?

That's hearsay. I can object.

There's no point. He's cooperating.

Yes.

From Michael Miller.

And on the night of February 12th, what happened?

She had an overdose.

Your employees didn't want to risk calling an ambulance,

so they dumped her at St. Jude's.

You must have been very upset.

You could say that.

So what did you do?

I called a friend with connections

to the District Attorney's office.

An hour later, Glen Maskins showed up.

And he was only an Assistant District Attorney at the time.

That's right.

And were you surprised when Mr. Maskins came so quickly?

No.

I'm used to having people respond that way.

Because you're a man of power, money,

standing in the community.

That's right.

So, when Mr. Maskins came to the hospital,

what did you tell him?

I told him I believed the people at the Trinity Club

were responsible for this.

He assured me he'd make them pay.

And was that the response you were looking for?

It was.

And did he deliver on that promise?

I believe he did.

And when Glen Maskins ran for District Attorney,

the office he holds now,

did you contribute to that campaign?

I did.

A great deal.

Did you help bundle contributions

from wealthy donors in the community?

I did.

Throw fundraisers?

Yes.

And in his current run for Attorney General?

I can't.

He has continued to receive my full support.

Now, is it your belief

that when Glen Maskins came to the hospital on that night

that he targeted me to gain access to you?

Your money and your friends?

I don't know.

You'd have to ask him.

I think it's safe to say, Your Honor,

that if there was quid pro quo, even if it was implied,

that that constitutes an abuse of power.

Thank you.

Mr. O'Reilly, Mr. Maskins, cross-examination?

Mr. O'Reilly?

Okay.

Yes, Your Honor.

The people would like to call Mr. Glen Maskins to the stand.

In my chambers.

All of you.

Now.

I understand there's an election happening tomorrow

and you're worried about the media,

but I am not going to allow this collateral matter

to make a circus out of my courtroom.

My apologies, Your Honor,

but the entire idea that I sold out justice

to ingratiate myself to a wealthy man

is offensive and completely inaccurate.

I believe I should have been given a chance to directly rebut.

You can rebut now. Here. Where it matters.

Fine.

The simple truth is, I went after Mr. Wallace

because Lexi Richardson OD'd on drugs she got at his club.

The police investigated. We prosecuted.

He was tried by a jury of his peers,

and they spent less than two days deliberating

because it was a slam dunk and he was guilty.

I did my job, and I did it well.

And for that, Mr. Richardson decided to support me,

as is his right.

Now, I don't know about you, Your Honor, but I found

Mr. Wallace's leveraging of his daughter against him

to be disgusting.

More than what happened to Easley Barton?

Or Jose Rodriguez?

Men who were innocent that were put away for years

under your direction...

26 years I've been doing this job.

I've tried hundreds of cases, overseen thousands.

So for you to handpick two

and present those as evidence of what I'm about...

You are not on trial here, Mr. Maskins.

Oh, but I am now.

With the entire premise of this motion.

This idea

of a pattern of corruption.

You want to talk about my witness,

the nurse who suddenly got cold feet

after your people coerced her?

Is there evidence of that?

Of course not.

Because all he has are insinuations.

He throws crap against the wall

and hopes for something to stick.

My witnesses have a habit of disappearing on me

the day they're supposed to be called, Your Honor.

That's what I would have presented

had I been able to talk about Jose Rodriguez.

That's what happened to that criminal informant...

Angelo Torres.

Mr. Maskins?

Here it is, Your Honor.

This man has spent the last four months

doing everything he can to make this

about me and my record

and not about the facts in his own case.

He has looked for inflammatory cold cases.

He has preened before the press.

He has used his position in prison

to find vulnerable inmates and twisted their cases around

in an effort to malign me and my record.

At school, my son has been called a racist

because of the bile Mr. Wallace has been trying to unleash.

Are you really gonna stand here and talk about your family

after what you've done to mine?!

And you honestly think you have a leg to stand...

Gentlemen, I'm going to stop this now.

I have what I need to make a judgment.

I'll need a day or so to review the documentation and briefs.

You'll have my decision then.

Your Honor.

I know this has no relevance to what you have to consider now...

but I'm innocent.

Even with the revelations about Spencer Richardson,

the damage from that video

and Safiya's association with Wallace

puts us on the defensive.

And it gets worse.

Safiya's proposals to close prisons

are suddenly making their rounds on the Internet.

Oh, come on.

You need to disavow Wallace

and distance yourself from Safiya.

Now? On the day of the election?

You're going to get asked about it all day today by the press.

Here are some talking points.

Looks like she's winning in the early count,

but we don't know if it's from the urban vote or what.

You saw what she said about Dad today.

I guess... she won't be of much help anyways.

She was just being a politician.

But the worst thing for us is if Maskins wins.

It won't even matter if Dad doesn't get his retrial.

He'll be out of moves, right?

He'll win.

You believe in him again?

Yes. I do.

Don't you?

I always will.

But I've seen what these people can do.

And now...

Mom?

What?

I think my water just broke.

Yo, Wallace.

Just got word. You got court tomorrow.

You hear anything about the election?

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am very proud to present

the man who will follow in my footsteps...

my prot�g� and friend,

the next Attorney General of the great state of New York,

Mr. Glen Maskins!

She tried to stay up for you.

Promised I wouldn't move her.

I'm sorry.

For what?

That you lost.

I don't know how we get past this.

Do you?

Jasmine's in labor.

Marie's with her at the hospital.

She's five weeks early. Something wrong?

Marie says that's totally normal,

especially for a first pregnancy.

S-She wanted me to tell you, so...

Well, thanks for letting me know.

Aaron.

I'm pulling for you today.

For whatever it's worth.

You should come.

He's almost here.

He's almost here.

Three, two, one.

- Push, push, push, push. - There you go. You're doing fine.

Push, push, push, push!

Push! Push!

All rise! Court is now in session!

The Honorable Judge Reginald Cummings presiding.

You can be seated.

Unfortunately, this case has already been used by both sides

to score political points.

That ends now.

Coming out of here, nothing more to the media.

No mention of Aaron Wallace in speeches,

no mention of a corrupt Attorney General.

Are we clear?

- Yes, Your Honor. - Yes, Your Honor.

Good.

As for the motion for retrial,

I am entirely unconvinced by the argument

that there was a rush to judgment

or racial animus at play here.

When it comes to the conduct of the prosecution,

I am troubled by the casual manipulation of eyewitnesses

and by the disclosure issues

surrounding the criminal informant.

But those factors, while serious,

are not enough to trigger the cost and expense

of a lengthy retrial.

However...

when one adds to the mix

the abundant enthusiasm and confounding specificity

with which the District Attorney pursued this case,

all seemingly triggered by the overdose of Ms. Richardson,

it's clear to me not that Mr. Wallace is guilty or innocent,

but that, as a matter of law,

the errors that I described cannot be said to be harmless.

As a result...

I am compelled to find that a retrial is warranted.

Yes!

Mr. Wallace deserves an opportunity

to present his defense before a new and impartial jury.

Accordingly, the previous judgment of conviction

is set aside,

and a new trial is ordered with all deliberate speed.

Hey!

Meet your grandson...

Aaron Wallace, 7 pounds, 11 ounces.

I missed it.

Hey, you'll meet him soon enough.

I'm a grandfather.

Wow.

Congratulations.

I took your word for it all along,

but I've read all the transcripts now.

I heard what the judge said.

If I'd have ever known what you did...

We were aggressive where we needed to be.

We got the job done.

And the man is guilty.

Maybe. Or maybe he's not.

And do you know what that would mean for me?

Spencer, there is no way this bounces back at you.

I'm not talking about my reputation!

If I'm in any way responsible for that man losing...

Make it go away, Glen.

Make it go away.