Good morning.
- Good morning. - How can I help you?
I was interested in leasing a safe deposit box.
There are some requests in life that are beyond my power.
Yours happens to be one for which I am eminently... qualified.
Eminently qualified?
Means I'll have to ask you a few personal questions.
Not too personal, I hope...
Curtis.
Just name, address and... telephone number.
It's essential, I promise you.
Just banking regulations. You know how it is.
Nobody move!
Away from the desk!
Behind the counter... Let me see your hands!
The rest of you, on the ground. Get on the ground!
- Now! - You, down!
- Get down now! - Face down!
Federal agent!
Drop your weapons!
Wrong move, lady.
Johnnie! Johnnie, no!
Please don't.
.: Team UnderCovers :.
NCIS Los Angeles 1x15 - The Bank Job -
Not cool.
Definitely not cool.
You want me to handle this?
Knock yourself out.
It's stuffed. It's a king cobra.
Its venom could kill a grown man inside 15 minutes.
Thought they're bigger.
Not so big until he's stretched out and locked onto your butt.
Looks like Jeffrey Dahmer's evidence box.
Think this is Nate's?
- I'm thinking Hetty. - Mine.
Sorry.
Mine.
We thought maybe Hetty was having a garage sell.
What's all this stuff?
Just prized possessions, sacred belongings,
heirlooms and memories.
Irreplaceable items that can't be assigned a price.
This is priceless?
You're kidding?
A full set of 72 ultra jelly bracelets from Roppongi, Tokyo?
G has a thing for ultra jelly bracelets from Roppongi, Tokyo.
There was a break-in in my apartment building,
and couldn't let the crooks take my stuff, so...
What is the price on the black market these days for a...
poppycock baby doll?
It's not just any poppycock baby doll. This is...
It's Pete.
I keep my mementos
in a GSA class 6 fireproof safe
drilled to the floor of my den under false wooden panels.
- You got to be protected. - For Pete's sake.
GSA class 6 is military grade. What do you keep in there?
It's classified.
What about you?
- Where do I keep my stuff? - Yeah.
Here.
No, no, I don't mean memories. I mean stuff, like this.
G doesn't have stuff.
Pack rats and hoarders are fascinating. They tend to be closet romantics.
- Sorry. Did you just call me a hoarder? - He said "pack rat" first.
Memories.
I still mourn the loss
of my most prized possession.
Traces of it are still embedded in the asphalt
along a quarter mile stretch
of the circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo.
I don't even think it was the most expensive thing
I ever owned, but it certainly was the fastest.
New case on deck.
Dude, is that a king cobra?
This happened last month on Mutanabbi street in Baghdad.
Six marines wounded, one killed.
- An ambush. - Followed by a robbery.
$5 million in U.S. currency.
Reconstruction funds headed for local contractors.
The Jihadist Raiders Front took credit for it.
I've heard of these guys. Formed in 1994,
by Abu Al Jaleel.
The State Department consider the Jihadist raiders front
to be one of the more high profile terrorist groups.
They got cells right across the Mideast.
How did they find out about the shipment?
You need top secret clearance to get access to those convoy routes.
Routes were leaked. After the ambush,
Delta raided a safe house used by the Jihadist Raiders Front.
One of the things they recovered was a SIM card
with an L.A. phone number on it,
belonging to...
Staff Sergeant Chad Jeffcoat,
who just happens to be a military customs inspector
with access to convoy routes.
They called him 3 days before the ambush.
Address?
Rents a bungalow in Redondo beach. Address is on your phone.
His shift starts in... an hour.
You really have a GSA class 6 safe in your den?
I've to keep my valuables safe.
What valuables?
I have a mint condition Patrick Ewing rookie card,
a football signed by the 1986 New York Giants,
and the entire run of the Silver Surfer comic book series.
Plus tickets for the Lakers-Knicks tomorrow night.
They're both spoken for.
What else?
- What else? Why "what else"? - Because that was way too easy.
And because that
- is your "I'm hiding something" laugh. - There is nothing else.
No, there is definitely something else.
- We're here. - That can't be it.
Conversation's over.
- Is this a Navy SEAL thing? - I'll show you a Navy SEAL thing.
I'm waiting.
I have a Michael Jackson glove from the "Bad Tour" in '87.
He threw it out in the front row at the Madison Square Garden show.
One of those white gloves?
He was the King of pop, G.
With the sequins.
- The king of pop. - Why just one glove and not two?
If you have to ask, you just don't get it.
Jeffcoat. Focus.
How are you doing?
Good morning.
Chad's a buddy. We're supposed to have lunch, but he doesn't seem to be around.
- You haven't seen him, have you? - No, not today, buddy.
Thanks.
Have a good day.
Hey, G?
Just the one glove?
Don't do it.
Blood.
It's a blood trail.
No discoloration. That's still fresh.
Spent nine millimeter shell.
The shooter must have used a silencer.
Otherwise, the neighbors would have called in.
Jeffcoat's wounded, he runs...
Second 9-millimeter shell.
He takes a second round, but he's still on his feet.
Runs towards the car.
Trail ends here.
Perp either finished him off, or he got away.
How far can you get with two rounds in you?
Not far enough.
So where's the body?
I always unlock the car with the remote as I come out the front door.
Trunk or backseat?
Trunk.
I'm going backseat.
Less lifting.
Nada.
Guess Chad's not coming to lunch.
If you were Jeffcoat, where you'd hide your most prized possessions?
Depends on what my most prized possessions are.
No loose floorboards.
No wall safes.
Bedroom's clear.
Here.
Dishwasher door is jammed.
False panel?
That's one way to launder money.
Ten-K brick.
It's a great place to hide stuff.
Unfortunately, I don't have a dishwasher at my place.
If Jeffcoat suspected he was in trouble, he would've taken this and bolted.
Not put on his uniform and headed in to work.
Could've leaked the convoy route, got paid, thought he was in the clear.
Or he crossed the wrong person along the way.
Yeah, but who?
And where?
250,000. Sequential serial numbers.
That kind of money...
A guy could buy a lot of sequined gloves.
He wore it on stage.
It has sentimental value. You can't put a price on that.
What's your opinion a man who owns a sequined Michael Jackson's glove?
The King of pop?
I like him already. Who is he?
What's the word from Treasury?
Serial numbers came from the shipment of reconstruction funds stolen by
- the Jihadist Raiders Front in Baghdad. - The attack was last month.
It's plenty of time for Jeffcoat to get back to him.
One of the keys you found on Jeffcoat's lawn
was generated by an airstrip in the North Valley
that rents out hangar spaces.
- He own a plane? - Nope.
Don't lose it.
And don't spend it.
What is this?
Blues.
May not look like it, but...
I got soul.
- Cool harmonica, huh? - My harmonica.
Sorry.
It was sitting on the table.
- I thoug it was Dom's. - No.
It was a gift from my dad.
You don't talk about him much.
We were living on a base
in the middle of nowhere.
And one night, I wanted to go out with my friends to the movies.
He said no.
He left me at home to go and have a beer with some guys in his platoon.
So, I snuck out anyway.
Titanic.
The movie.
I loved it.
I still do. And you can make fun of me all you want, I don't care.
Anyway...
After that, I came home.
He didn't.
MP found his body on the side of the highway the next day.
Coroner needed dental records to identify him.
What about his drinking buddies?
Questioned. Cleared.
Shipped out.
The case was never solved.
I was 15, so...
I never got to speak to them.
Well...
He would've been proud of you.
You play this better than I do.
You should see me play my banjo.
Looks like we missed a party.
Via Baghdad.
From the looks of it, this is the rest of the stolen five millions.
Ski masks.
Coveralls.
Never been worn.
Someone's planning on taking something that doesn't belong to them.
Not gonna ask twice.
Schematics from the Certified National Bank in downtown L.A.
Jeffcoat was tied to a bank crew?
Why rob a bank when you've already got a bag stuffed with millions of dollars?
Salerno, you here?
Federal agents! Stop right there!
G, you okay?!
You really got tickets to the Lakers game tomorrow night?
I wouldn't do that.
Bad idea.
The worst.
- He didn't read the sign. - Got to read the sign.
What is it, Eric?
Kensi just called from the hospital.
The hostile that you wounded in the shootout
just came out of surgery.
Michael Joseph Benelli.
Ex-con who specializes in high-end heists.
- And the money? - Just spoke with Treasury.
It the remaining $4.75 million from the convoy attack in Baghdad.
How does an L.A. Bank crew wind up with terrorist money?
Guys have skill sets. They're always for hire.
A Jihadist terrorist group paid these guys $5 million to rob a bank?
There was something in the bank they wanted,
the money was just a down payment for the job
There's more.
I just reviewed the security cam footage from outside the hangar.
I got this from approximately 48 hours ago.
That's the mailman we saw outside of Jeffcoat's bungalow.
Facial rec ID'd him as Damien Salerno,
prime suspect in 14 bank robberies
over the last 15 years.
Finally caught him on an unrelated tax charge,
released from prison in may 08.
- Wasn't Mike Renko on that case? - Yeah, he was.
LAPD also thinks
he's involved in at least five murders, but they can't prove it.
Jeffcoat makes it six.
I guess Salerno decided his piece of the pie wasn't big enough.
He's what you call mastermind and muscle
rolled into one felonious package.
Mr. Benelli?
Nice.
A nurse who wears black leather.
Looks like I made it to Heaven, after all.
I need to talk to you.
You're not the cop that shot me?
No. You wouldn't be here if I was.
My kind of girl.
What do you think Salerno's going to do when he finds out he lost all his money?
Why don't you ask him?
Cause you were the only guy who walked away.
Then you're talking to a dead man.
Not if you work with us.
It took some digging, but I think I figured out
why these guys are targeting this particular bank.
Since 9/11,
the FBI has been trying to cut off terrorist groups
from their financial assets.
Their most recent success
was freezing a series of bank accounts used by the Jihadist Raiders Front.
The amount?
Over $50 millions.
Guess where those funds are located?
Certified National Bank, downtown L.A. branch.
Raiders want their money back.
They hired the best heist team to get it for them.
But Salerno doesn't come cheap.
He demands an up-front payment.
So they attack the convoy, take the cash, and ship to Salerno.
Jeffcoat must have been a middle man.
He had security clearance to leak the convoy route to the Raiders.
He'd bring Salerno in to hit the bank.
But no bank keeps $50 million in its vault.
Don't need to.
Banks retain assets electronically.
You have the right account numbers, swift codes, passwords,
you can shift money electronically anywhere, anytime.
Then why pay a heist crew? Why not hire a hacker?
Because banks have unique security protocols
for funds frozen by the FBI.
You have to have physical access
to the actual terminal to move the money.
But that's never stopped you before.
Most hackers don't have access to the toys that I do.
I could makes all very wealthy in about two minutes.
I mean, if you wanted me to.
Not that you'd want me to. Not that I would want to.
I'm just saying, you know?
What exactly are you saying, Eric?
I think this is an inside job.
All right, Eric, thank you.
What's his name?
Whose name?
The guy in the bank.
The man who's gonna wire the money back to this terrorist group
and then tell the cops that he was ordered to do it by the bank robbers.
- I don't know what you're talking. - I'll tell you what I'm talking about.
I want the name of the guy in the bank who's gonna wire
the $50 million to the Jihadist Raiders Front.
The bank robbery was just a front...
An excuse so no one will suspect the man on the inside.
I'm tired.
I need to sleep.
Sleep on this.
You're facing a lot of years in prison.
We can cut you a better deal than Salerno.
- Eric? - Yeah, Kensi?
- You're on speaker. - I'll take it from here.
He's not going to tell us.
It was a long shot.
- I was hoping he'd cut a deal. - Will this guy lead us to Salerno?
Not willingly.
He's terrified of crossing him, for good reason.
Then maybe he'll unwillingly take us to him.
Already on it.
Guys, message from Mike Renko.
He says he's got someone who can help us with this case.
Meet him at the boat shed.
On our way.
What's the prognosis, Doc?
Benelli's entire value system is based on the use of violence.
The threat of Salerno finding him will be too much to bear.
He's gonna run back to his boss and beg for his life.
Good thing I tagged him before he woke up from surgery.
GPS and audio taped under the, uh...
shoulder bandage? That was smooth.
Up top. Come on.
I need to get this tail started.
And you need to get out of the office more often.
Ever vigilant Special Agent Mike Renko.
Late night clubbing, rock star?
I was working undercover with a bunch of tweekers.
Freaking guys never sleep.
- What you got for us? - Detective Matt Bernhart.
He's a buddy of mine in LAPD. Busted Salerno eight years ago.
You still have friends in LAPD
- after the thing with the cop? - And her horse?
You didn't tell Hetty about that, did you?
- How could you do that? - It wasn't technically illegal.
- But it was disturbing. - Yeah.
So, Bernhart? He's a good guy?
I heard hesitation. Sam, did you hear that?
I see it, I hear it. Hell, I can even smell It.
Bernhart's been known to walk outside the lines a little bit,
- but he always gets results. - So, he's dirty?
When you're a cop, there's a fine line
between being dirty and effective.
We'll pass.
This case is already hot enough as it is.
First, this guy's your best chance at getting close to Salerno.
Second of all...
he's here already.
Detective Matt Bernhart, Special Agents Callen and Hanna.
- How you doing? - Good.
- Hey, man, what's going on? - How you doing?
Good, good.
All right.
Why don't you tell these guys about Salerno, Matt?
All right.
He's getting old.
He's not pulling heists anymore. He's planning them.
He's sending a crew in,
and getting a cut of the score.
- Good to know. - Now, Salerno's point man is
usually this psycho whack job by the name of Johnnie Manning.
Johnnie Manning...
he wasn't one of the guys at the hangar.
It's lucky for him. Thanks for the heads-up, guys.
Wait. That's it?
You're kidding me.
- Thanks, pal. - Thanks.
Callen, it's me.
Benelli's back at the North Valley airstrip.
- Looks like he's waiting for someone. - We're on our way.
Hey, Hetty.
A Mossberg M590.
Matte black finish 8-round capacity.
Not my favorite weapon, but it's...
it's a useful tool in a tight spot.
It's not
loaded?
Just checking.
I do prefer it with the upper Picatinny rail
and the modified standard heat shield,
but then my tastes are more refined, no doubt,
than reprobate bank robbers.
I'm sorry for asking, Hetty, but, wouldn' the recoil be just...?
It's a bitch.
No. I'm good. Good. More of a...
surveillance guy. You know, with the headphones and microphone.
Kensi talked to me about
her dad today.
Tragic.
You know, it's still an open case.
She said she still had some questions who were supposed
to be with him that night.
They're out there somewhere.
What happens when she finds hem?
How do you know she has into ready?
- What do you got, Kensi? - Nothing.
He's just waiting.
- Hello, Mick. - Lerno, where are you?
Where's my money, Mick?
I did everything I could to keep it safe, you got to believe me.
I hear law enforcement got it.
What did you do, tip them off, cut yourself a deal, Mick?
No. Salerno, no.
Kensi, do you see Salerno?
- He's got to have eyes on Benelli. - No, I don't have him.
He could be anywhere.
So, now it's a sprint? See who gets taken down first, me or the bank.
Are you nuts? You're still going through with the bank?
It's not like I can give them back their down payment, now, can I?
The Jihadist Raiders Front is expecting this job
to get done in the next five days.
None of this would've happened if you hadn't taken down Jeffcoat.
We could've pulled the bank job and walked away.
I'm still pulling it.
You want me to show you how much I need your help?
- Guys, Benelli's down. Benelli's down! - We're moving in!
Shot came from the north. High ground, north gate.
I can't see him.
I can't see him, Sam.
North gates clear.
He is not here. He is gone.
All right, everything Salerno had on Certified National Bank is right here.
Got the game plan, escape route.
Everything but the date and time they plan on making their move.
What are the chances Salerno's gonna get a new crew together?
Either he goes trough with this,
or he's gonna be looking over his shoulder the rest of his life.
We identify the inside man at the bank,
then the Jihadist Raiders Front will lose the key piece in this whole plan.
Just combed through a list of the bank's employees.
Ran them through some vectors. No red flags like criminal records,
except for one who sticks out.
Meet... Curtis Lacross.
Okay, did his college year abroad in Egypt.
He's active on jihadist web sites with a radical bent,
and he's made seven phone calls to Baghdad in the last month,
all to satellite phones that are now disconnected.
So Raider's tactic.
They issue new phone numbers every 14 days.
Makes them impossible to track down.
Curtis is also single.
He got active membership to four different online dating sites.
Am I the only one who wonders why there is a suspect in every case
who happens to be a bachelor?
Seeing how criminals tend to be males with antisocial proclivities...
And also wonders why that always seems to be the vector that we go after first.
The lowest hanging fruit is the easiest to pick, Agent Blye.
Seriously, Curtis is gonna take time to get close to.
Salerno and his crew could hit this bank at any point in the next 5 days.
As despicable as the man is,
Salerno isn't our primary target here.
The Jihadist Raiders Front is.
We need to confirm who's working inside the bank
and make sure they give up everyone else involved,
both here and in Baghdad.
And the clock is ticking,
Mr. Callen.
You ever thought of getting a safe deposit box?
Time to dial in the Kensi charm.
Yeah, always me with the charm.
- Jelly bracelets. - For good luck.
Okay, Eric, Kensi's going in.
All right, Sam. Accessing the bank cameras now.
You went too far, Johnnie!
Hey, say my name again, you're next! Roll with it.
Sam, I'm down.
I'm going in.
Cell phones on the ground in front of you!
Let's go! Move!
Anybody that works here, line up behind the counter. Let's go. Come on.
Move! Let's go!
We're moving to the back of the bank.
Single file line. Now!
Eric, I'm going around the back.
All right, Sam, I'm gonna disable the fire alarm
and locks, so you can get inside the bank's emergency exit.
You want to live, do not look at me, do not look at my colleagues.
Do you understand? Let's go! Now!
Get back!
Two minutes!
Speak to me, Eric.
LAPD's on their way.
Move it!
All right. This is it.
You know what to do.
Now!
Come on!
I...
never got the call.
There's been a change of plans.
The cops are onto us. Salerno pulled it up.
You want your money, we gotta do it now.
Him.
Curtis?
- What is this? - You're about to find out.
My name is Connor Lavery.
I'm the manager of this branch. I don't want anyone to get hurt.
Just... please just...
tell me what it is you want me to...
Get your hands up!
You're gonna take us to your office. Right now, Connor.
Let's go.
Approaching back door.
- The door's locked, Eric. - Hold on.
It looks like the bank upgraded their security system last month.
I'm going to need some time to work my way around it,
- breach their server. - As quick as you can.
What do you want me to do?
Account 6441865-313.
There should be about $50 million in there.
You will transfer everything in that account
to this bank, using your pass codes.
Istanbul?
Do what he says, and you might see your wife and kids again.
Come on.
Going as fast as I can, Sam. We're almost there.
Come on.
- Come on, come on, come on. - Almost, almost.
- It's done. - We're good, let's roll.
- I copy. - Copy that.
Follow me.
- Come on, Eric! - Three seconds, Sam.
Get down! Get down!
Go!
Ladies and gentlemen, Curtis has left the building.
On behalf of the LAPD, I'd like to say it's a pleasure doing business with you.
- You're good. - Yeah?
And you have no idea how much it pains him to admit that.
I'm a man of many flaws. Taste in friends is not one of them.
- Most of the time. - This is my idea of a good time.
- He's growing on me. - Yeah, does a good psycho.
Well, there's worse ways to make a living.
All right.
Show ain't over yet.
Okay, everybody, this operation is concluded.
Many thanks to all of you at the LAPD for your help with this op.
Remember, the bank employees do not know this was an undercover operation.
They've all been transported back to the precinct for questioning.
Impressive performance.
Not quite Oscar-winning, but definitely worthy of a nomination.
At least I made Curtis believe it was real.
Next time, I'll be the bad guy.
All right.
Fine by me.
Got it, Eric. We're on our way.
The GPS tracker you slipped into Curtis' shirt is up and run.
All right, LAPD's gonna question all the bank employees. Stay with them.
Where do you think Curtis is gonna lead us now?
We'll find out. Guess the jelly bracelets worked.
Looks like he's here to meet someone.
Tell me you have control of that wire transfer.
We can't let the Raiders get a hold of that money.
I'm getting close.
Still trying to figure out the subtleties
of the Turkish electroctronic banking system.
Okay, Mr. Subtle. We'll, stay on it.
Kens, have all the bank employees been released yet?
Half an hour ago. LAPD's not too happy about it.
From what they can tell, none of them were involved in the heist.
Thanks.
That's Lavery, the bank manager.
Wasn't how I thought it'd go down.
You never said anyone was gonna get killed! They shot that woman.
She was a Federal Agent. She left them no choice.
So, now we're both accessories to murder.
That's not the only problem we've got.
Transfer hit Istanbul.
Problem is, money's disappeared.
- What? How'd this happen? - You tell me.
You think I stole it? I'm supposed to be on a plane to Syria in 2 hours.
You were always in it for the money!
I was supposed to take my cut and go back to work Monday morning, so?
Where did it go?
It can't be.
I think I look pretty good for a guy who took 2 shots this morning.
What is this?
For the first time today, it's exactly what it looks like.
CBP has just apprehended Damien Salerno.
He was, quote, "trying to get over the border into Mexico".
He's with Renko now, hopefully telling him everything he knows
about the Jihadist Raiders Front.
That is great news.
You still haven't found a satisfactory spot for your stuff?
I was going to rent a safe deposit box, but...
what happens when I want my stuff and the banks are closed?
I've done a pretty good job, I think,
of letting go of my attachment to most physical objects.
But I've never been able to let go of
my antique jewelry collection.
It's in a safe place,
and I could certainly make room for your things.
I would never want to take away space from your collection.
Well, that would be impossible. I have an entire...
warehouse in Santa Monica, devoted to it.
Thank you.
But...
it's just certain things...
you want to keep within arm's reach.
Well, in that case,
we have extra space in the archives room in back.
Your things would be safe and close by.
Thank you very much.
What can I do for you this evening?
- A quarter mile stretch of asphalt. - Circuit de Monaco. Monte Carlo.
- Not your the most expensive thing. - But it was definitely the fastest.
Gentlemen,
I'm late for a very important meeting.
- Ferrari? - Aston Martin?
1955 Porsche Spyder.
A work...
of art.
I just never got used to the understeer.
- I have this safe at home. - GSA class 6.
It's fireproof under the fake floor boards in the den.
I keep a few things under lock and key.
Like tickets to the Lakers-Knicks game tonight.
I thought those were spoken for.
I want to see how you'd handle the Mickael Jackson glove situation.
- With the sequins. - Yeah.
And?
And I am cutting you a break...
- again. - I like you cutting me a break.
Very nice, and I'll even let you wear the glove.
Gonna take a pass on that one.
.: Team UnderCovers :.