In the criminal justice system
the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups,
the police who investigate crime
and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
What problem?
Could you please step out of the car, sir?
Could I see your license and vehicle registration?
What problem?
Our computer's telling us that your plates belong to a white Toyota Celica.
Computers.
I don't like them either, sir.
Where in Connecticut do you live?
Brooklyn.
Frank, Frank, get outta the way!
You okay, Frank?
Yeah.
Aw, geez, Louise.
We saw that red smudge right above the bumper,
popped the trunk,
and there he was, both eyes starin' up.
Scared me all to hell.
Thanks. And good work.
So, who's our mystery guest? John Doe.
He must've left his ID in his other pants.
You roll his fingerprints? As soon as we find his hands.
Guy looks like he had a difference of opinion with a sushi chef.
He has deep knife wounds all over his chest and back.
And his friend? John Doe Number Two.
No ID on him either.
What about the car? The Connecticut tags were taken off a Toyota.
The Town Car was reported stolen two weeks ago in Queens. Have fun.
Just the way we like 'em, Rey. Nice and easy.
The hands were cut to the bone, then snapped off at the wrist.
That must've hurt. Well, it was post-mortem.
Still.
Then they dug out the bullets, which accounts for the lovely mess
on his chest and back.
They missed a slug fragment, still lodged between two vertebrae.
At least they left his teeth.
Ah, this character must've put a dentist's family through college.
There are bridges, crowns, fillings, root canal.
Some of the older work looks pretty exotic.
How exotic? Not made in America.
He bid us farewell sometime yesterday afternoon.
And there was white powdery material in his hair.
I sent it to the lab. Well, what about Quick Draw McGraw here?
Still no ID. Latent can't match his prints.
Any idea what these tattoos are? No.
The lettering's Cyrillic.
Russian.
They're Russian prison tattoos.
Each finger tattoo represents a conviction. So, three tattoos,
three convictions.
The black diamond represents a guilty plea.
And the skull tags our boy as either a robber or a sadist.
What about the feet? Usually some favorite saying.
Uh, roughly translated:
"When you skin your customer,
"leave some skin to grow so you can skin him again. "
The motto of the plumbers' union?
Actually, Nikita Khrushchev, 1961.
A BA in Russian Studies.
I thought the Cold War'd give me lifetime employment.
Is this case assigned yet? Yeah, to Carmichael.
Oh, she's good people. Did a couple of narco cases together.
Do you have the fingerprint sheet for this guy?
He's not in the system. Yeah.
Our system.
I'll fax this to Moscow.
Should hear back, uh, within the week.
Thanks, Tony.
Ballistics says the slug fragment's from a 9-mil.
Our Russian cowboy was packin' a. 45.
We're talkin' about a second perp.
Ballistics can't trace the. 45. So I hope you have good news.
The powder in the victim's hair was dried plaster.
And I have the odontologist's report here.
The guy had some old fillings made with an amalgam
used in eastern Europe 30 years ago.
But he also had some local work done in the last ten years.
Well, if he immigrated here, maybe INS has him.
They can ID him off his right ear.
- You're kidding? - Oh, you didn't know?
Every ear's unique. Like snowflakes.
No wonder Evander was so upset.
Mrs. Chuikov, do you know where your husband was supposed to be
yesterday afternoon?
At work.
He has a booth on 47th.
And, um, he sells watches.
When was the last time you saw him?
Yesterday morning, when...
When he went to work. I...
I... I was calling all... All afternoon.
And I called him all night.
I left messages on his machine.
The people who killed your husband might be involved in Russian organized crime.
Was he ever mixed up with that sort of people?
No, no. He was never in trouble with anybody.
Your husband immigrated here in 1978.
Did he keep in touch with people from the old country?
Just his family.
We visited them
in Moscow last year.
And they're good, honest people.
Like my husband.
Oh, my...
Oh, no...
Vas went out around lunchtime. Said he was going to see a man about a watch.
Who would that be? You see where it says "Authorized Dealer"?
No. Right.
He sold gray market watches.
Who supplied him?
People who work in watch stores sell pieces out the back.
He said he found a guy, could get him platinum Patek Philippes.
Those babies are $100,000 a pop retail.
I'd rather be late. Would Chuikov bring cash to this meeting?
That would make him pretty stupid.
He tell you who this source was?
Somebody who obviously thinks lard is a food group.
Chuikov said he was meeting him at the PK's.
Hole-in-the-wall on West 28th.
Pretty good meatballs, though.
I've never seen him before.
But this one... He looked a whole lot better on Tuesday.
Him and his smooth-talkin' friend kept tryin' to get with me,
callin' me Janet Jackson.
I look like a chubby little thing to you?
I'd go more with Diana Ross.
So did you notice anything else about them?
Well, this one had tattoos on his hands.
And neither one of them could speak English worth a damn.
You see them leave? No.
They just left the money on the table. A dollar tip.
Wouldn't impress no Janet Jackson.
Okay. We might ask for your help later with a sketch of the second man.
No problem. I'm always here. Thanks.
So, Chuikov hooks up with these two, doesn't eat with them,
they just up and left.
They took him for a ride. Or maybe a walk.
"Coming Soon: Luxury condos starting at $600,000."
The lab said Chuikov had plaster dust in his hair.
Isn't that what this stuff's made out of?
Somebody's been here in the last few days.
Well, the financing fell through about a month ago,
and I haven't picked up a hammer since.
You got security on this place?
Well, the company sends a patrol car out eight times a day.
At least that's what their invoice says. Lennie...
Still tacky.
Somebody tried to mop it up.
Yeah. Looks like somebody pulled the slugs outta here.
What's all of this?
It's a crime scene. Somebody was shot and butchered here.
Oh, Mother of God.
We're gonna need a list of everybody who's got a key to this place.
You ever have kids breaking in here? Well, yeah, sure.
Got candy wrappers, trading cards,
skateboard magazines.
What's the graffiti?
A Rangers fan.
"Billy and Antonia" inside a heart.
Is that smell what I think it is?
Yeah. Urine.
Could be the same vintage as the blood.
These kids, you know who they are? No.
There's a, uh, Boys and Girls Club over on 25th Street and
the kids used to come by and sell raffle tickets to the guys.
Boyfriend? Billy's not my boyfriend.
Even though I like him a little, I'm too young to have a boyfriend.
Antonia, we just need to talk to him.
Well, I haven't seen him since Saturday.
Is he in trouble?
No, no. Uh, but he might be able to help us out with something.
What's his last name? Well...
It's Billy Woodson. I know him. Nice kid.
Yeah. He gave me this friendship bracelet.
Oh, it's beautiful.
Thanks a lot.
I don't know what's wrong with him.
I came home Tuesday, he was just sitting in his room.
He would hardly talk to me.
Doesn't have an appetite. He's not sick.
He didn't tell you anything? No.
When I try to leave in the morning, he won't let me.
I had to miss the last two days of work.
I thought someone tried messin' with him, you know?
Why's that?
I found his underwear and jeans stuffed in the trash.
He wet himself.
He hasn't done that since he was three.
And then I found this, on his coat.
You see that?
That's blood, right?
He won't tell me where it's from.
I was gonna take him to a doctor.
Can we talk to him?
It's all right, Billy.
They're policemen. They just want to talk to you.
He's usually very friendly, aren't you, Billy?
Billy, we just want to ask you a few questions about what happened Tuesday.
He saw it go down, Lennie.
He saw it all.
Kid's got a long way to come back from before he can be useful to you.
How much time?
Depends what other stressors there are.
If he saw the whole deal, the killing, the butchery,
few days, weeks...
- I'll keep on top of it. - Thanks, Emil.
We're sure the boy was there?
The blood on his jacket matches the victim's.
Well, who had access to the crime scene?
The contractor's getting us a list. Could be 200 people.
And we got a sketch of the second guy from the waitress at the diner.
Okay. Whatever the boy saw,
let's make sure word doesn't get out that we have an eyewitness.
Tony Ricci at the Rackets Bureau got a hit on the shooter's fingerprints.
From Russia with love.
And the Oscar goes to... Andrei Rogatin.
Convictions in Russia for armed robbery, kidnapping, extortion.
Last reported seen in a Moscow nightclub two weeks ago.
Nice. Anybody can come here, get a fresh start.
Well, he didn't swim here, so we're talking flights from Eastern Europe.
Checking for what?
The little customs cards. You know, the ones that foreigners have to fill out,
where they list a local address.
Yeah, the one he probably filled out with a phony name and a phony passport.
Yes, that one. Look, you find a card, you find an address, maybe you find his partner,
and maybe he tells you why they killed the watch salesman.
This is the last batch. Now if you need anything past the last two weeks...
No, thanks. The haystack's big enough.
Are these your possibles? Males, 30-to-50.
Then what? Send them over to our fingerprinting department.
Maybe they hit the lottery. Gee, I thought my job was dull.
Brighton Beach Avenue.
Doesn't that go from 100 to 1400?
I don't know.
I'm not sure where it starts, but it doesn't go above 1400.
Well, this tourist here, Boris Kira, says he's stayin' at 2803 Brighton Beach Avenue.
Came in Saturday afternoon on Norde Air 41 from Moscow.
There's another one in here with an address like that.
Yeah. 3313 Brighton Beach Avenue. Sergei Selnikov.
Flew in Friday from Moscow.
Maybe the airline'll know where they are.
Selnikov and Kira?
Nah, doesn't ring a bell.
The airline said they delivered a piece of lost luggage to them here.
Maybe you'd recognize 'em from this.
This guy's in, uh, number 146, but I haven't seen him around for a few days.
That's 145. That's Ivan the Horndog. Plays grab-ass with all the maids.
Right, Janet Jackson, huh?
I keep telling Paulina that these Russians are loaded.
If she loosened up a little bit, she'd end up with a mink coat straight from the farm.
I don't want a mink coat. I'm a good girl.
Yeah, that's right, she's a good girl. Oh, yeah?
How'd you like to be a bad girl for a few minutes?
Sir, it's Paulina. I brought you some fresh towels.
Okay, okay!
What? What this is?
What's going on? We're the Jacksons. I'm Jermaine,
this is Tito. Now shut up.
I am tourist. Russian tourist.
Yeah. And you're about to get a taste of some real American hospitality.
He says he doesn't know any watch salesman,
and he doesn't know anybody named Andrei Rogatin.
So it's just a coincidence that Rogatin had the room next to his?
He says he's just a tourist enjoying the sights of New York City.
And what about the 9-millimeter,
that just part of his New York experience?
He says he found it in his room on the pillow, next to the mints.
Tell him we sent his prints to Moscow and it's just a matter of time
before we find out his real name and his criminal record,
and things aren't gonna be quite so pleasant, then.
He says he's had his privates slapped by the KGB,
so he's not afraid of the New York City Police.
That's him. High-stylin' low-tippin' player.
Okay, let me write this up in your statement.
Kira or whatever his name is,
invoked his right to shut up until he gets with somebody from his embassy.
Won't do him any good. She puts him near the crime scene with the shooter.
Any idea where they got their guns? No.
And no outgoing calls from the motel.
We're checking the phone booths on the street.
Yeah. It's no little black book either. But, uh...
He had this card with him from the Brooklyn Pain Management Clinic.
Hmm, maybe all that shooting gave him carpal tunnel syndrome.
He is not familiar.
But I don't personally see all the patients.
A lot of 'em fly here from Moscow?
This is not Sloan-Kettering.
People don't fly here, they take the bus.
You know anyone named Andrei Rogatin? No.
Vasily Chuikov?
Am I supposed to know these people?
Can you explain why a guy who just got off the plane would have your card on him?
It's a long flight. Maybe his back hurts.
Maybe somebody who likes our work gave it to him.
Yeah, maybe that's what it is.
You have a pain in the back, detective, we can help you.
Yeah, well, the pain I'm getting isn't in my back.
Thanks a lot, Mr. Malone.
What's their tax ID number?
Georges Malone. Sounds like he took a few syllables off his name.
Only one, actually. His real name is Georgy Maletkov.
Got his file right over here. Well, what is he, a doctor?
Only if he stole the license. Yeah.
Immigrated 1992. By '94, he had a physical therapy clinic in Queens and
was being investigated for Medicare fraud.
Guy doesn't waste time. He pled guilty to misdemeanor filing of false
business documents, paid a fine. By '96, he was back in business in the Bronx.
- This time it was phony disability claims. - Now he's in Brooklyn.
Yeah. Pop the weasel. By the time he shows up on our radar, he's moved on.
Lennie, you got that list from the construction site?
The contractor gave us the names of the subs who had access to the crime scene.
Yeah. Here. Lydec Electric. The patients from that disability scam?
Four of 'em worked for Lydec.
I don't know that guy, Maletkov.
You don't think it's funny that you worked on the building where
this watch salesman was killed by a guy who had the business card of the guy
who treated your employees two years ago?
Maybe funny for you. You think all Russians are crooks?
Just the crooked ones. Hey...
How long do you think it's gonna take us to connect the rest of the dots?
You don't want to save us the legwork, that's up to you.
But when the hammer comes down, you're gonna wish you had.
You want to put me in prison because I don't wanna talk to you? I don't care.
Prison is nothing to me.
My husband isn't afraid. I'm not afraid.
We're not murderers. You can't put us in prison forever.
You could lose your business.
So we make another business. It's not first time.
Really? Big demand for electricians in Moscow?
What do you mean, Moscow?
Immigration Reform Act of 1996.
We'll go over your books, your tax returns.
If we find one decimal point out of place,
you're on a plane back to the cheese lines in Red Square.
But we have a green card.
I'm sure you'll get a lot of rubles for it on the black market.
So what's it going to be, Mrs. Dementev,
corn flakes or kasha for breakfast?
Okay. I tell you.
But you must protect us from these people!
What people?
Vory VZakone. Thieves in law.
The mafiya.
You help us, we'll help you.
Maletkov is second cousin to my husband.
David gave him the key to the building where he was working.
He did not have a choice.
He thought Maletkov wanted to, uh, steal, uh, building materials.
Copper pipes.
You protect us, okay?
Step away from the window!
He tossed a gun.
Georgy Maletkov, or whatever your name is,
you're under arrest for the murder of Vasily Chuikov. Let's go.
Case number 469990,
"People v. Georgy Maletkov and Boris Kira, One Count Each Murder Two. "
A plea from your clients, Mr. Margolis.
- An emphatic not guilty. - What else?
People on bail? Remand. Both defendants are foreign nationals.
Uh, Mr. Maletkov has applied for citizenship.
Defendant Kira was in possession of a false passport.
Fine, fine, we will concede Mr. Kira for remand. Let's talk about Mr. Maletkov.
He's a tax-paying business owner...
Who's under investigation for Medicare fraud.
Who was trying to dispose of an unlicensed firearm when he was arrested.
And who was given a key to the murder scene
two days before the victim was killed and mutilated there.
This is all serendipity, Your Honor. It's evidence.
Both defendants remanded.
Kira's real name is Mikhail Tolstonog, resident of Moscow,
same pedigree as Rogatin. Who is he?
He's the one who was shot by the police.
We think they're both connected to Maletkov.
Maletkov. Tolstonog.
No wonder I never got through War and Peace.
All these names add up to what?
Maletkov flew in a couple of out-of-town hitters to take care of Mr. Chuikov.
"Why?" is the million-dollar question.
Chuikov's wife never heard of Maletkov.
And Chuikov's name did not show up in our investigations of Maletkov's fraud schemes.
They just picked him out of the Brighton Beach Who's Who?
I hope between the three of you, there's a case.
Ballistics made a probable match between Tolstonog's gun
and the bullet fragment pulled from Chuikov's body. Probable...
What about this eyewitness, the little boy?
He's been diagnosed with acute post-traumatic stress disorder.
No one's been able to get a story out of him.
The other witnesses should get us past the grand jury.
Barely.
I worked next to Mr. Chuikov for the last seven years.
We were friendly, but I... I wouldn't say familiar.
When he left on the day in question, where did he tell you he was going?
He told me he was going to meet a new source for some very expensive watches.
Where was he meeting this source?
Oh, he didn't tell me that.
Mr. Bronstein, didn't you tell Detectives Briscoe and Curtis
that Mr. Chuikov said he was meeting his source at PK's Diner on the West Side?
No. I speculated he was meeting on the West Side, but I didn't know where.
You know what I think happened?
Vas, uh, Mr. Chuikov,
he asked me for a good place to eat on the West Side,
and I told him PK's.
I think the officers misunderstood that. That must be what happened.
I never see David give Maletkov the key. He never told me he did.
You told Ms. Carmichael you saw Mr. Maletkov come into your place of business.
Yes, I said that.
He talked to your husband, your husband gave him the key,
isn't that what you told Ms. Carmichael?
- Yes, yes, but it's not true. - You lied?
She scared me!
That girl, she has heart like KGB.
She said she was going to deport me, back to Russia.
So I told her what she wanted.
I want to know what happened. Did somebody threaten you?
Leave me alone.
If you don't help us, we can't protect you.
You don't understand. You can't protect everybody.
Who else do we have?
The waitress from the diner. She was supposed to be here two hours ago.
I'm gonna recess the grand jury. You call Briscoe and Curtis.
I go to court, it'll cost me a half-a-day's tips.
I got my babies at home.
Come on, Miss Dobbs... My cousin, she works in a legal aid office.
She asked if you could put somebody like me in jail for refusin' to talk to the D.A.
They told her that would hardly happen.
Technically, you can be cited for contempt.
But it would hardly happen. So I am not gonna do it.
I'm sorry.
I don't know anything about Josette's business.
She didn't tell you that she was helping us with that murder down the block?
People talk to cops, they get in trouble.
Why? Someone making trouble for her?
You think it's over, you think they're gonna leave her alone, now?
Friday morning, some guy in a white Mercedes, you know, a big one,
was waiting for her outside, when she came in for work.
He talked to her.
She was pretty shook up. She say anything?
No. What did this guy do?
He just talked to her and then he used the pay phone right outside there...
And took off.
This your car? Yes.
You're Roman Laskin? Yeah. What's goin' on?
What's going on is, you're under arrest. Put your hands on the hood.
What am I under arrest for? No, no, we ask the questions.
Last Friday you made a phone call from the West Side. You called here?
I don't know. If your friends are smart, they'll stay outta this.
You have to tell me what I am under arrest for.
Attempted DUl. I smell a whiff of vodka on your breath.
And we're confiscating your car. We can do that now, ya know.
Lennie, look what I found in the glove box.
A copy of the voluntary disclosure form.
A list of witnesses with their addresses penciled in.
You know who uses these? Yeah. The D.A.s.
My assistant sent it to their defense lawyer with the complaint form.
The names were supposed to have been blacked out. My fault. I should've checked it.
Should have? We're lucky none of those people are dead.
Who had the terrific idea of listing their addresses?
Nobody.
Once they had the names, they must've looked 'em up.
Right. Why make it easy for them?
Adam, the person we should be screaming at
is the son of a bitch who passed this on to those thugs.
I want him off the case, Your Honor!
He endangered witnesses, interfered with the prosecution...
If Mr. McCoy had evidence to go with his huffing and puffing,
I'd be in handcuffs right now.
We can meet the standard of proof required to remove a corrupt attorney.
It's all there in the moving papers.
Yes. Fascinating reading.
- Your Honor... - You're out, Mr. Margolis.
There's only one inference to be drawn from the fact that the VDF
got into the wrong hands. Well, that's unwarranted. I'm filing an appeal.
Yes, and in the meantime, you're still out.
All right. I want two days to get new counsel for my clients.
And replace Bonnie with Clyde? His entire firm should be barred.
My clients have the right to choose their counsel.
They have the right to counsel. Period.
Anything beyond that is a privilege.
Your Honor can exercise a veto or appoint new counsel from the 18-B panel.
Yes. New counsel will be subject to my approval.
My last act on behalf of these defendants.
Motion to dismiss.
Emil, we're facing a motion to dismiss, our witnesses won't cooperate.
This boy is our last best hope.
Couldn't you treat him?
I'm not a child psychologist. I don't have the expertise.
I'm sorry it screws up your case, but...
If it was your kid, who would you get?
Well, since she's gone back to teaching, Liz Olivet.
Specializes in kids with crime-related trauma.
We're gonna videotape our little talk, so that I can look at it later. Okay?
Okay.
Can I play too?
Okay. Which one should I be?
What are we playing?
Space. Okay.
Do you have your own bedroom, Billy?
What time do you go to bed?
10:00. Sometimes 10:30.
You sleep okay?
Ever have any bad dreams? Sometimes.
How about before that man was killed,
the one everyone's been asking you about.
Did you have a bad dream?
Mmm-hmm.
I want you to tell me about that dream.
Will you do that, Billy?
I was hiding in the old factory.
Four men came in. They were making a lot of noise and...
What else did they do, Billy?
They shot one of the men.
They cut him up with knives.
They cut his hands off.
Then they put him in a box, like a cooler,
with snakes on it.
Then they put plastic around the dead man and took him away.
And after you had this dream, did something like that happen for real?
Yes.
And you think that it was your fault?
Because I didn't tell anyone I had the dream.
It's called "omen formation".
These kids want to have a sense of control over the terrible event they witnessed,
so they come to believe that they dreamed it before it happened.
Then they feel guilty because they didn't do anything to stop it.
Poor kid gets it coming and going.
Would he recognize the killers? He said he could.
Do you think it's healthy, putting him through the witness grinder?
He told me he wants to help the police punish the bad guys.
It might give him closure.
His mother's not thrilled, but she'll go along.
Let's not kid ourselves about the risks.
The guy with the white Benz was arrested
coming out of a diesel oil company owned by Konstantin Volsky.
We've been looking at Volsky for gasoline bootlegging.
The guy's an octopus, a major player in the Russian mob.
And if this all leads back to him...
We'll move the boy and his mother into a safe house.
I want them under wraps until the trial.
There's still the line-up.
Okay, Billy, I want you to stand right over here. I'll be right back.
I still resent the implication that showing us his face would put the boy in danger.
Mr. Manning, the judge ruled that we could do this, so spare us your bellyaching.
Okay, now just look through the glass.
You'll see some men walking out wearing numbers.
And I'll ask you if you've seen any of them before.
And if you have, you tell me what number they're wearing.
Okay? Now remember,
you will be able to see them, but they won't be able to see you.
Okay? Okay.
Here we go.
First group.
Have you seen any of these men before?
Yes. Number Four.
Well, you're gonna have to speak up.
Number Four.
He shot the man.
Next group.
Do you recognize any of these men?
Number Eleven.
He cut off the hands.
Okay.
That's it.
Tell Mr. Margolis he can stuff his motion to dismiss.
A 10-year-old boy...
After all your other witnesses recanted.
'Cause they don't want to end up wrapped in plastic in the trunk of a car.
I'm offering him 15 years minimum for a plea to murder two.
In return for a lifetime supply of Beluga?
He tells me who ordered the killing and why.
He talks to me about Konstantin Volsky.
My colleague is making the same offer to his accomplice as we speak.
Whoever raises their hand first...
You think because we have an accent we're stupid?
When I was 14, at the state school in Moscow,
I was reading Emerson, Faulkner, Hemingway.
I was studying John Keynes.
Milton Friedman. Mr. Maletkov, I...
Ca-ca-ca-ca.
I made a lot of money in Russia.
You think that's easy, you try it.
So when I come here, ha...
America is like a big baby. We're taking candy out of your hand,
out of your mouth.
So...
Save your deals for the pipeheads in Harlem.
I have appointment to play chess.
Okay?
Looks like a no.
How'd you do with Tolstonog?
0- for-2. Apparently, compared to his digs in Moscow,
Rikers is hog heaven.
Might all be academic.
I'm not looking forward to facing a jury with only a child's eyewitness account.
I was thinking about what the boy said,
about Maletkov putting the hands in a cooler.
Why a cooler?
Why not a bag if you're just gonna get rid of them?
Good question.
He said the cooler had snakes on it.
He might be describing a caduceus.
Maybe the cooler is for shipping bio-medical specimens.
Do we have the records from Maletkov's clinic?
Maletkov's got to be makin' $250,000 a month by massaging sore muscles.
Ain't America grand.
You got to hand it to him, though.
He's been here six years, he's working the system like a slot machine.
I'm still tryin' to figure out alternate side of the street parking.
Jackpot.
An invoice for shipment of a medical specimen, the day after the killing to Moscow.
Along with toilet paper, they're also having a shortage of hands?
Maletkov was sending a message.
Why do you want to know about Vasily's family?
It might explain why he was killed.
I told the police. They're honest people.
We're sure they are.
We just need to know their names and any information you have about them.
Are his parents still alive?
No. He has an uncle. And what does he do?
He's an agricultural engineer in the Ukraine.
Who else? Your husband have any siblings?
A sister.
She's an administrator at the university in Moscow.
Her husband passed away two years ago.
They have any children? A son.
Vasily's nephew. He's the president of a bank.
A banker. Have you talked to him since your husband died?
Uh, no, I talked to his mother. I left him messages.
He hasn't called back?
Was he close to your husband? They used to talk every month.
I'm not understanding why am I here?
The national police put me on the plane,
and they told me I'm a material witness for my uncle.
We realize you've had a long trip, but...
What do I know about my uncle? He's dead.
And do you know why?
I'm not the police.
The people who killed your uncle cut off his hands
and sent them to you in Moscow to make an impression on you. Why?
What did they want you to do?
I don't know any of this. Please. Mr. Kuzmin,
didn't you love your uncle?
Yes.
I love my family.
That is why I can't help you. It's too late.
Whatever these people are forcing you to do, I'm sure it's illegal in your country.
You'll be arrested, you'll go to prison.
Your family will have to fend for itself.
What am I supposed to do?
They will kill me.
They will kill my family. We can help you.
Mr. Osborne is from the justice department.
They have a witness protection program, they'll relocate you,
your wife and your children to the United States and give you new identities, new jobs.
That is not enough. They will kill my mother, they will kill my wife's family.
I couldn't leave them behind.
How many people are we talking about?
Fourteen.
Fine. I'll get it approved.
Fourteen?
What do we call these people? Forensic refugees?
Who else does the jury have to look forward to?
We have Billy Woodson's testimony, we have ballistics, the motel records...
Ah, coincidences, probable matches,
your case is still resting on some very small shoulders.
Forensic refugees. Now there's a growth industry.
You think so?
Here, we bitch because organized crime is a parasite on our economy.
In Russia, there's nothing but organized crime. It's a kleptocracy.
As for guys like Volsky, they're a bigger headache than ten John Gottis.
Mmm. Different accent, same problem.
La Cosa Nostra are lap dogs compared to these guys.
They're brutal and they're smart. They'll pull capers the others are too stupid to try.
And they'll do business with anyone. Puerto Ricans, Chinese...
I hope this isn't just rehashed Cold War rhetoric.
No. My old man, he sold tool and die equipment to the Soviets.
He'd have them over for dinner.
I was 12, sitting around with these party apparatchiks who survived Stalingrad,
who survived Stalin,
who gave this little girl her first shot of vodka and her first smoke,
Sobranis with the cardboard filter.
I loved those old guys.
So my senior year, I went to Russia.
Now, when I see what's happening there...
It breaks my heart.
Mr. Gordov says,
he represents investors
who sell Russian oil on the world market.
He want to open an account to receive proceeds from this sale.
How big an account?
Uh, Mr. Gordov said $30,000,000 a month.
I said I need documents to prove that his investors are
legal owners of the oil.
You were concerned that it might be stolen?
Yes. Mr. Gordov said
that I don't need such documents, and I said
I have no authority to proceed without proper document.
What did Mr. Gordov do? He said he will get the documents.
Did he? Yes. After two weeks, I...
I receive a cardboard box at my office.
Inside it was a plastic bag with two hands.
Two human hands.
With a wedding ring still on the finger.
I recognize the ring.
It belonged to my uncle, Vasily.
Then Mr. Gordov call. I still have the box on my desk and he called,
he ask if I received the document.
He said if I didn't want more documents, I will open the account.
What did you do? What could I do?
I open the account.
What did you think the purpose to the account was? It was to...
How to say that?
Launder money.
Criminal money.
I know many banks in Moscow the mafiya uses for this purpose.
I give you names but the Russian central bank, they do nothing.
Thank you, Mr. Kuzmin.
Mr. Kuzmin, my condolences for your uncle.
Now, have you ever seen either of the defendants before today?
No.
Did this Mr. Gordov ever mention their names to you?
No.
Then why do you think they're responsible for your uncle's death?
Because...
Mr. McCoy tell me.
Thank you.
They were saying stuff I couldn't understand.
There was all this blood everywhere.
I got dizzy and sick in my stomach.
And you were watching these men through the hole in the wall?
Yes, sir. Do you see those men here in this room?
Yes.
Please point to them, Billy.
The record will reflect the witness is pointing to the defendants.
Very good, Billy.
Thank you.
Hi, Billy.
Who's that in your hand?
X- Men.
My son likes them too.
Billy, when the police came to talk to you the first time,
you didn't right away tell them what you just told us, did you?
No.
In fact, a lot of time went by before you told anyone, right?
Yes. And during that time,
a lot of people talked to you about what you saw, right?
Yes. There was Lieutenant Van Buren, and the two detectives,
and Dr. Skoda and Dr. Olivet, all of them talked to you?
Yes.
And then, after all that talk,
you finally told Dr. Olivet you had a dream about a man being killed, right?
Yes.
Now, Dr. Olivet explained to us this morning
you didn't really have this dream, you just imagined it.
- No. I really dreamed it. - I believe you, Billy.
I think you dreamed it too.
Now, is it possible...
The things all these people told you,
maybe some of that ended up in your dream?
No. Uh-uh.
How about your mom?
Did she talk to you about this before you told Dr. Olivet you had a dream?
Yes.
What did she tell you?
She said if I wanted to feel better,
I had to tell the police what I saw.
I had to be braver than anybody.
Why is that?
Because there were other people who knew things, too,
but the bad guys scared them, so they won't help the police.
Your Honor... In my chambers.
He testified there are other witnesses who were intimidated.
It's hearsay, it refers to facts not in evidence.
Your Honor, Mr. Manning asked the question.
I didn't ask him about other witnesses. Your Honor, it's inflammatory, prejudicial.
And it can be cured with instructions to the jury.
To ignore what? The testimony of sweet little Christopher Robin?
Your Honor, there's only one cure, and that's a mistrial.
The standard is manifest necessity. It doesn't exist here.
The defendants can still get a fair trial.
Fine, let it go to a verdict. I've got a ready-made appeal. It's a bluff, Your Honor.
Mr. McCoy, it's only the second day of testimony.
A mistrial's not gonna kill anybody. Monday, we'll pick a new jury.
Is he done? Can we go?
Yes, but I'm afraid he'll have to come back and testify again, probably next week.
What? Why?
The judge declared a mistrial. Because of what Billy said?
It's not his fault. We know.
The judge is afraid of making a mistake. I don't care.
I am not putting my son through this again.
I'm sorry, it can't... You didn't hear me!
He is not testifying. He's done.
Mrs. Woodson... He won't sleep by himself.
He never smiles.
He's not interested in anything.
He can't take this anymore.
Now you can't make him do this.
So just forget about him.
Mr. Volsky...
What did you say to him?
"Not one step backwards. "
Stalin's order to the Red Army when the Germans invaded.
You don't have to rush into a new trial.
Give the boy some time. In the meantime, the other side'll
smell blood in the water.
I can't help that.
Have you heard from Ricci?
No. Why?
Her paralegal said she left an hour-and-a-half ago.
She's not home, she's not answering her cell phone,
she's not returning any of my pages.
Call the police.
Check the boy's safe house.