All language subtitles for Law.And.Order.SVU.S24E19.1080p.WEB.h264-ELEANOR

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.

Man, you're not half a
hitman from Juárez anymore.

You're a NYPD officer.

But you don't think
Benson sees it like that.

So you're gonna keep
protecting a murderer?

Chili is the only reason I'm alive.

But you will find that friend,

and you will bring him to justice.

He might be living in the northeast.

Being a cop isn't some sort of penance.

You owe a debt to the
two people that were killed.

You're here early.

Shouldn't you be at home

alphabetizing your merit badges
or something?

The Girl Scouts of America
is a good organization.

I learned a lot there.

That was a joke.

I didn't know you actually
used to be a member.

Well, I was.

Well, in that case, I'll
take six boxes of thin mints.

How about a coffee instead?

No, I'm good.

Morning, Captain.

Oh, good, you're here.

My office.

So...

Any update, on finding your friend?

I, uh...

I made some calls.

Well, that sounds promising.

Look, I'm gonna find him
one of these days.

Nope.

Today, is that day.

So I had Carisi,

subpoena some money
transfers to your friend's mother,

- down in Juárez.
- OK.

A woman by the name of El Santini,

sent quite a few of them.

- El Santini.
- Does that name ring a bell?

I have no idea who it is.

Well, the money is being sent
from Camden, Maine.

OK, so we call Camden PD.

No, you're going up there.

What?

It's, like, five hours away.

Yeah, don't worry,
I'll give you somebody

to share the driving with.

Churlish?

Can I take Muncy?

- No.
- Why not?

Because the only thing worse

than a partner with no loyalty

is a partner with blind loyalty.

But you already know that.

You learned that from Chili.

Oh, my God, Lorraine.

You have outdone yourself.

I'll give your regards to the chef.

Hmm, well, maybe I should
have sent him the bouquet.

Mm.

A toast.

To my second husband, whom I adore.

My new beginning.

Perhaps a little bit younger, but...

We forged a new path.

Oh, and I couldn't be happier.

Happy anniversary, my love.

Happy anniversary.

Well, we'll need another 300,000 or so,

which is doable

as long as that new lieutenant
mayor shuts his mouth

and votes yes, right?

Money well spent.

Time to check the market?

Something tells me it's going up.

Up and down like clockwork.

More like in-out, right?

My husband, where is he?

Oh, I'm sorry.
It's members only.

Oh, that's right.

Where are my manners?

- Where the hell is he, hmm?
- You don't have to do this.

Where is he, hmm?

Harold, you son of a bitch.

- Where are you?
- Alice?

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
What are you doing?

Oh, I found condoms in his briefcase.

Hey, Alice, calm down.
You've got this all wrong.

Oh, I'm not an idiot, Roger.

Where is he?

Harold. Harold.

Harold.

Darling.

Harold!

So, this is why you never come home?

Calm down.
You're hysterical.

Oh.

How old are you girls?

What are we looking at?

Alice Wolcott, novice skeet shooter.

She used her own husband's
reproductive organs

as her clay pigeon.

Well, I'm assuming
he did something to deserve it.

Well, she found some condoms
in his briefcase.

And how old are these girls?

15.

All from Jersey.

- Muncy's calling their parents now.
- OK.

So bring the old men to the precinct

and have Carisi meet us there.

Excuse me, Captain Benson.

This guy says he knows you.

- Roger?
- Olivia, thank God.

This is all a huge misunderstanding.

Involving 15-year-old girls?

Let me explain.

Harold's the real victim here.

He was shot by his wife.

I myself was a witness.

Roger, I'm not playing favorites here.

If you want to provide
some kind of context,

then I suggest you talk to your wife.

I will see her later
at dinner at Café Carlyle.

You know one of the perps?

Yeah.

- He's the husband of Lorraine Maxwell.
- Oh...

We're arresting the husband of the head

- of the New York Trial Division?
- Oh, yeah.

If he's so much as touched
one of these girls,

we're gonna do a lot more than that.

I don't get it,
if your boy Chili is some

badass cartel guy,

what the hell is he doing
up here in Maine?

First of all, he's not my boy.

- Let's get that straight.
- OK.

How about you explain
how he came to be in Maine?

My guess, if he's even up here,

and I'm not convinced he is,

he's part of a distribution network.

In this country?

Girl, how do you think

drugs get to every
street corner of America?

So it's possible that
Chili is loyal to the cartel

after all of these years?

Loyalty is non-negotiable
in the cartel.

Nothing else matters.

That's why most guys never get out.

- You did.
- Barely.

- I was this close.
- To what?

Dying.

Chili should have added me
to list the bodies that night.

But he covered for you,
and now you owe him.

- No, I didn't say that.
- You didn't have to.

It was all over your face.

That sick look when you came
out of Benson's office.

Let's get out of here.

How about we go back
to riding in silence?

Detective Velasco.

Thanks, Sarge.

That cop from Camden PD
we reached out to,

says El Santini's got a clean sheet.

She works at a school...
Vice principal or something.

Well, we've been driving for five hours

and school's out for the night,

so, why don't I find us a motel?

OK.

I may have overreacted with the gun,

but I know what I saw.

Which is what exactly?

Harold and his
friends sitting there like

Renaissance popes, pants down,

young girls half-naked in their laps.

- This is a mess.
- This is less than ideal.

How many actual suspects do you have?

Three men caught by a witness

for sexual contact with a minor.

And the witness being Alice Wolcott,

the one who clipped her
husband's nuts with bird shot?

Harold Wolcott,
who's still in the hospital.

The other two, Francis Fuller
and Dean Roberts,

both waiting for the lawyers.

And what about the rest
of the club members?

Oh, we brought them all in

on suspicion of promoting prostitution.

Including Roger Briggs,
Maxwell's husband?

Who claims he was just having a drink.

Underage girls performing sex acts

at a club where he just happens
to be sipping a pimp's cup?

Were these girls paid?

Were they threatened?
Coerced?

Still untangling that web.

I mean, at best, Roger thought

that these girls were

granddaughters of other club members.

Or at worst,

he's participating
in the prostitution of minors.

Well, either way, it doesn't bode well

for Maxwell's second marriage.

Or her career.

A scandal like this is poison
with the eighth floor.

Oh, great, she's here.

All right, I gotta go.

I mean, Carisi,
I'd prefer that you didn't.

Liv, she's my boss.

This is the definition
of conflict of interest.

And we have no proof
that he's involved.

Yet.
We don't know...

Captain.

Carisi.

What are we looking at here?

Why don't you have a seat?

Um...

We arrested three men,

allegedly engaged in sex acts,

with 15 year old girls.

Well, if that's true, that's horrific,

but Roger swore to
me that he had no idea

about any of this.

- He was brought in in zip ties?
- Well, we voided his arrest.

We still need to talk to him.

Oh, it's our anniversary.

I heard.
Dinner at The Carlyle.

Seven years.

Congratulations.

Captain, you learn a lot
about a man in that time.

His morality, his character.

I assure you, Roger is innocent.

Well...

Let's, let's hope that you don't have
to make those assurances,

uh, in front of a jury.

My God.

At first, we were hired
to be hostesses.

Greet members, take coats, get drinks.

But then things changed?

Some of the guys offered to pay for

more, personal attention.

- What did that involve?
- Making out with them.

Letting them touch us.

Going into the sauna.

Did you have sex with these men?

We never had, sex-sex.

It was just oral.

I was promised a Balenciaga bag.

How did this start, Paige?

Six months ago, me, Daniella,
and Tara were at the mall.

This guy came up to us,

said he could get us work
at an upscale club in the city.

And who was this guy?

My client had no idea
these girls were 15,

- which is no defense.
- No, it's not.

For starters, he's looking

at criminal sexual act in the third.

- We could tack on child endangerment.
- Hang on.

He may be willing to give you
the name of a very big fish.

The mastermind of this

whole sad chapter
of the Whitmere Club's

- 200-year history.
- Do you have any proof?

He's been trading Polaroids
of these girls

like they're baseball cards.

- Trading?
- Or selling?

Well, I'm not gonna lie to you.

No one is suggesting that you are.

I have seen one or two
of them at the club before.

Roger, I strongly suggest

that we wait
till Art Blumfeld gets here

before we continue this conversation.

If you want to wait for your lawyer,

that's fine. I understand.

I have nothing to hide.

I was under the impression that
these girls were hostesses.

And that's all?

I'm sorry.
I wish there was more I could tell you.

Captain, there's something
you should hear.

Excuse me.

What do we get in exchange for a name?

Do we look like lawyers to you?

You barely look old enough to be a cop.

But older than 15.

Right, Francis?

So either he talks or he doesn't.

What happens after that
is out of our hands.

- We have to talk to our DA.
- Oh.

You will need to talk to your DA.

Because his name is Roger Briggs,

Lorraine Maxwell's husband.

All right, tell us
how her husband is involved.

This goes beyond prostitution.

If he's telling the truth...
Briggs' profited...

Sex trafficking.

- Francis is a liar.
- Not another word, Roger.

- I'm sorry, Lorraine.
- Not as sorry as you're gonna be

if you utter another word
without a lawyer.

So, figure out our next move
on the case?

Yeah, we indicted Francis Fuller,

Dean Roberts, and Harold Wolcott

on criminal sexual acts in the third.

Francis Fuller's driving around

procuring the girls from the mall.

And what about
Maxwell's husband, Roger?

Well, I don't have enough to indict him

based solely on the words
of a co-conspirator.

You get anything else from the girls?

The girls swear that every time

they saw Roger in the club,

he was just having a drink.

He never asked them for sexual favors,

gave them money, gifts.

And if he's involved in this,

then he's definitely smart
enough to cover his tracks.

All right.
So what do you need?

- Besides a sleep study?
- Oh.

I need a subpoena
for Roger's financials.

I need a search warrant for his house.

For his house?

- You mean their house.
- Eh.

So, do we give,
we'll give Maxwell a heads-up?

She's already one step ahead of us.

I want to be transparent
about this whole situation,

and, I-I appreciate

the awkward position
that it's putting you both in.

In the spirit
of transparency, Ms. Maxwell,

we should not even be here right now.

Underage girls were sexually abused.

Look, I want to reassure you both

that no one wants these perpetrators

brought to justice more than I do.

We appreciate that.

But, if Francis Fuller
is using my husband

in an attempt
to mitigate his own guilt,

I won't stand idly by.

Well, neither will we.

But...

there is an allegation

that we are obligated to investigate.

Look, all I'm asking
is that before you decide

to execute a search warrant,

or take any other steps,

you talk to Roger.

He's agreed to come in
and tell you his side.

OK, I think we can do that.

OK, but, of course,
without you in the room.

Of course.

Can I help you?

I'm Detective Velasco.

This is Officer Churlish.

We have records that show us

that you send remittances to one,

Paula Mendoza in Juárez, Mexico.

That's not illegal.

No, it's not.

Um...

Could you tell us why you
would do this for Miss Mendoza?

I'm involved with a Catholic charity.

We have a sister church in Juárez.

Paula is a widow and parishioner there.

She lives alone.
I felt bad for her.

Right, so you just wanted
to help her out.

Mm.

That's the warning bell before recess.

Uh, I have to get going.

I hope I was able to help you.

20 grand in remittances
over a couple of years

to some widow in Mexico
on a vice principal salary?

- You think she's lying?
- You don't?

Maybe she's a good person.

That's convenient.

What is?

Your sudden air of
opportunistic faith in humanity

just because you want to go
back to Manhattan empty-handed.

- And why would I want to do that?
- I don't know. You tell me.

Velasco, what's the problem?

Nothing.

Is that him?

Yeah, that's him.

That's Chili.

My client acknowledges

the Whitmere Club
has employed these girls.

There are paychecks
from the members fund,

but it's all legitimate.

They were employees, huh?
In what capacity exactly?

Well, as I said before, as hostesses,

and sometimes entertainers.

Well, that's new information.

Go on.

We installed a Grecian pool
earlier this year,

and some of the members thought
it might be period-appropriate

to employ a few...

Um, nymphets.

Nymphets?

They were decorative,
part of the scenery.

It was all very, you know, Dionysian.

But they were somewhat scantily clad.

So perhaps that's where
some of the confusion lies.

No, there's no confusion,
Mr. Price.

We have three girls on record

saying that they gave
sexual favors to club members

in exchange for money and gifts.

And you've already charged
the three guilty men,

including Francis Fuller.

Who made a serious allegation
against your client.

Which is completely unsubstantiated.

Fuller's a predator,
but he's not stupid.

Why would he make patently
false allegations against you?

He's trying to get leverage on me.

Francis and I are in
a real estate venture together.

I hold the majority stake,

and he would do anything,
to get me to sell my shares.

It's blackmail.

So Roger said that Francis is
blackmailing him over a deal?

He didn't tell you?

No.

Because it's not true.

My husband is lying.

- How do you know that?
- Because Francis Fuller

sold his stake in the property
last year,

and the deal immediately imploded.

And I only know
because his wife told me.

So he assumed that
he could get away with the lie.

And he doesn't know that you know?

No, because we never discussed it.

It was my money that he lost, and...

I didn't want to emasculate him.

Get those warrants.

Any and all that a judge will allow.

We executed warrants
on Roger Briggs' phone,

home, office, his laptops,
his desk computer.

- We're also searching the club.
- And?

So far, nothing we can use.
He's clean.

No contact with any of the girls.

No texts.
No emails.

What about his financials?

Well, most of Roger's accounts

are shared with Maxwell.

His personal accounts
barely have any funds at all.

Well, he could have
hidden assets overseas, right?

That's gonna take more digging.

Muncy.

What about the club's financials?

There's over a thousand members.

We're still sorting through
withdrawals and deposits, but,

these guys are putting up
a Nantucket red wasp wall.

I'll get you subpoenas for every

member's financials if I have to.

You're not gonna need to do that.

Units just went through
Roger's locker at the club.

What'd they find?

We found nude photos of all three girls

in a Dopp kit in Roger's locker.

Well, that's absurd.

I mean, they were planted.

Please shut up, Roger.

Are you here to arrest him?

I'm sorry.

We came alone.
There'll be no perp walk.

We'll take him to Central,
book him to the back entrance.

No press, no cuffs.

We'll do this
as discreetly as possible.

No, no, I'm not
going anywhere with you.

- No.
- Yes, you are,

and quietly.

And you're gonna
keep your mouth shut until...

Until what, Lorraine?

Till you divorce me
so you can save your own ass?

Until I figure out what to do.

Let's go.

I can't believe this guy's
just a schlubby teacher.

After you left Juárez,
what was he doing?

I mean, I heard stories.

As far as I know,
he stayed loyal to the cartel

and put in more work.

So who knows how many bodies
this guy has on him?

Yeah, but now look at him.

Don't forget why we're here.

Excuse me for wanting
to do a little more digging

before I ruin someone's life.

How bad is it?

The girls confirmed that the Polaroids

were taken without their knowledge.

And did they say that Roger

used the photos to threaten them?

Fuller insinuated as much.

So you have an E felony at best,

possession of child pornography.

I'll be arraigning Roger, in an hour.

Now, obviously, I can't ban
the press from the courtroom,

but I will expedite
as quickly as possible.

Thank you so much
for the courtesy heads-up.

Of course.

Lorraine.

I'm so sorry about all of this.

Mm.

You know, when I had the courage to

finally leave my ex-husband,

the settlement that I was left with

was more money than I could ever spend,

and Roger has no money of his own.

I actually pay him a monthly allowance.

Huh.

Am I somehow to blame for all of this?

Absolutely not.

Lorraine,
I know that you've already been through

one abusive marriage,

but that wasn't your fault,

and neither is this.

Roger's choices are his,

and his alone.

You always speak
with such conviction, Olivia.

I wish I could believe you now.

Roger Briggs on three counts

of possessing an obscene
sexual performance by a child.

- How do you plead?
- Not guilty, Your Honor.

People on bail.

We request 150,000.

My client is looking forward
to defending himself.

And given his family ties,
it's highly unlikely

that he'd cause the court
any embarrassment.

Even so, I am setting bail at 50,000.

Bailiff.
Next case.

We have a lot to talk about, Counselor.

Yeah.
Why don't you go first?

You'll never make
sex trafficking charges.

- Yeah?
- And those Polaroids,

the girls consented to them.

Not to mention
the definition of obscene

is a legally moving target.

Why don't we let a jury decide that?

Unless you're willing to talk deal.

Why would I do that?

To spare everyone the pain of a trial.

Including Lorraine Maxwell?

Going after the boss' husband.

I give you credit for chutzpah.

There a promotion in this for you?

We've met a few times,
Mr. Blumfeld,

and I'll admit that
I don't know you very well,

but you apparently
don't know me at all.

Have a nice day.

All right, we followed these two here.

- Now what's your plan?
- I'm thinking.

I checked with the FBI.

We can get an unlawful flight warrant.

How about I just talk to him, OK?

Hey, Chili.

I know you?

Anyone else calls you that?

It's time to relieve the sitter.

You got a kid?

All right, that's it.
Let's go.

It's OK, honey.

I gotta sit here and talk to my friend,

'cause it doesn't seem
like I got a choice.

It's Anthony Santini now.

Santini.
What, have you

become Italian
since the last time I saw you?

It looks like you became a cop.

Look, I'm not here
to mess anyone's life up.

- No?
- I just want to talk to you.

You don't say.

You think I'm stupid?

No gun, no cuffs.

I'm not here to arrest anyone,
if that's what you're thinking.

All the same,
I don't like talking to cops.

OK.

Well, how about you talk
to that scared little boy

back in Juárez?

You mean my partner?

My friend?

'Cause I'll tell you,

he's never gonna forget what
you did for him that night.

I'm glad to hear it.

You're not taking the plea?

With what they have,

you would get minimum jail time
or maybe even probation.

I'm not guilty, Lorraine.

Roger, do me the courtesy
of not lying to my face.

Given the weight
of what you could be facing,

I would say that it's a fair deal.

Fair?

I can't go to prison.

Roger, it would be for a few months.

But, if they can make
those trafficking charges,

there's not a DA in the country

who would waive jail time for that.

But they'll never
make those charges stick.

And we both know
those girls won't testify.

OK, OK, OK, OK.

I can't tell you how sorry I am

I have put you in this position.

I just wanted to make my own way,

for once.

Are you so delusional
that you actually believe that?

You're only angry
because it's the first time

I haven't had to crawl to you
begging for money.

- This discussion is over.
- Lorraine, please.

I need you to make this go away.

Even if I could put my finger
on the scale for you right now,

- I would not.
- Then I have no choice

but to see this through to trial.

Imagine the chaos.

Front page of "The Times"
every day for months.

What would the eighth floor say?

I promise you, if I go down,
you'll go down with me.

I don't even know who you are.

I'm the man you love.

Remember?

Happy anniversary, sweetheart.

We were just little morritos,

trying to put food on the table.

I do not miss those days.

I don't think about it much.

I keep those memories
where they belong...

In the past.

At least I try.

Well, I'm not gonna lie.

I can't stop them
from creeping into my present.

Why?

Hey.

You didn't do anything.

You're right.

But I still had my gun pointed
at the father's chest.

He was trembling.

Remember, that's when he said...

"No, por favor."

And then the son comes in.

He looks right at us.

That's when you froze.

I never thanked you,

for covering for me that night.

I did what I did...

What I had to do...

Or we both would have been dealt with.

So how did you get all the way up here?

It's a long story.

Well, brother,

I got nothing but time.

So we're just going home empty-handed?

Will you just leave it alone?

Benson is not gonna be happy
with either one of us.

I guess you don't
know me that well yet,

do you, Chimney?

I whacked a few more
dealers after that night.

You heard about the
drive-through motel massacre

in El Centro?

Yeah.

That was me.

You know what that is, right?

- Evidence.
- Yep.

And to get it, I took a page
out of your playbook.

I gotta get this.

Hey, Captain.

Yeah.

We got...

We got what we needed.

We're about to head home.

- Yeah.
- Hang up and get in the van.

I gotta go.

Saw you play an audio file
for your partner in there.

I want to hear it.

- Play it.
- Now, listen...

I said, play it!

Let's just say I did a good job,

and they gave me a
lot of work after that.

But I found God.

I talked all this through with him,

made things right with Jesus.

He forgives me.

And I'm asking you
to forgive me as well.

Give me your phone.

I can't do that.

You see that place?

It's where me and Anthony met.

He was a busboy.

I knew he was running from something.

And that didn't bother you?

Put his head down.

And he worked hard,
and he went back to school.

So you helped him change.

I believed he could.

So, give me your phone.

Now, listen to me,

I've looked down
the barrel of a gun before.

I've seen the look of somebody
who's gonna pull the trigger.

That's not you.

You're not a killer.

But your husband was.

No, he wasn't my Anthony back then.

I know.
I know.

Please, please, please.

- I'm sorry.
- Please.

- I'm so sorry.
- Please.

You're home.

Roger, this is not happening.

Well, we never did get that
anniversary dinner, did we?

A promise is a promise.

You're drunk.

You always know me so well.

I'm offering an olive branch, Lorraine.

Please.

Please sit down.

I don't think so.

But I will have a drink.

That's my girl.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

Whatever else our problems were,

we always managed to have fun,
didn't we?

Yes, we did.

Um, one bite?

I put a lot into this.

You actually cooked?

I'm afraid to look in the kitchen.

DoorDash from Saint
Sebastian's, your favorite.

I don't think so.

Good night, Roger.

But, you don't know
what you're missing.

All I wanted was to have
one more nice meal together.

Is that so much to ask?

Yes, it is.

You know, your ex-husband was right,

the way he kept you in line,
humiliated you.

And I think you deserved it.

You're such a castrating bitch.

Oh, Roger.

911.
What's your emergency?

My husband is choking.

Send someone right away, please.

Roger Briggs choked
to death last night?

How am I just hearing about this now?

Because I figured that you could use

at least one good night of sleep.

Carisi, there's nothing
that you could have done.

Well, what the hell happened?

- Was he alone?
- Apparently.

Maxwell came home and found him
lying on the floor.

- She called 911.
- Jesus, is she OK?

What do you think?

You don't want to know what I think.

- What does that mean?
- Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

Carisi, what does that mean?

Just...

You don't think the timing
is just a little convenient?

I mean, was this divine intervention?

The ME ruled it accidental.

OK. OK.

So, uh, this was
just a tragic accident.

Is that what you think?

I think that this is a tragedy,
all around.

Shouldn't you be at home?

Shift doesn't start
for another few hours.

I had some stuff to get done.

So you knew,

I'd be giving
Chili's confession to Benson,

and you what, you wanted to watch?

Want me to get you some popcorn?

I didn't come for snacks
or the sanctimony.

So why are you here?

I came to make sure you're OK.

Well, since you are here,

I, uh...

I stopped at a scout supply store.

I was gonna leave this on your desk.

You got me a Girl Scout merit badge?

It's for service.

I couldn't have done this without you.

Yeah you could have.
You just wouldn't have.

- Yeah, you're probably right.
- Yeah.

You want some coffee?

You're back.

How did it go?

I recorded the guy.

Without his knowledge?

Well, that's illegal in Maine.

Well, he copped to a hit in California,

and another one in Arizona...

Both unsolved.

And how do you feel?

Like I did the right thing.

I still feel pretty bad.

Now.

But you unburdened yourself, Velasco.

And eventually, that's...

That's gonna feel really good.

What are you gonna do with it?

Well, I'm gonna listen to it, and then,

I'm gonna decide who
to share it with next.

But it's out of your hands now.

Are we good?

We're good.

He had dinner all laid out,

and he'd been waiting for me, and...

And then he was
just lying on the floor.

And he was already dead.

Well, he...

He started choking.

And you couldn't help him?

I tried, but there
was nothing I could do.

Well, it sounds like
you did everything... right.

You called 911, immediately.

You checked the call log?

I did.

I loved him, you know,
despite everything.

Do you believe me?

Whether I do or not,

there's no proof to the contrary.

So just another one of our stalemates.

Well, it still has to be investigated.

No, of course.

Should your investigation come up

with anything other
than what I've told you...

You'll be the first to know.

So we have an understanding.

Justice may be blind, Lorraine,

but it's not entirely heartless.

However, you...

You will see how heartless I can be,

if this conversation
ever comes back to haunt me.

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