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.
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.
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 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 Maxwell a heads-up?
She's already one step ahead of us.
I want to be transparent about this whole situation,
and 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... 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.
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.