♪
_
HANK: Irina? Irina?
Irina? Hello.
Don't be scared. I'm Hank.
I'm a friend of your mom's.
She wanted me to give you this.
Albert!
See?
Rinie, it's Mommy.
Mommy?
I miss you so much.
Every second of every day
since your dad took you, you're all I think about.
Now listen to me, lovebug.
I need you to go with Hank.
He's a nice man,
and he's gonna bring you home to me.
So just do what he says, and everything will be fine.
I promise.
Be safe.
I love you.
So what do you say, Irina?
You want to go home?
- Yeah? - Yeah.
- Okay then. - But wait.
It's almost 3:00.
That means my dad's already waiting out front
with his scary driver.
They're never gonna let you take me.
Who said anything about going out the front?
(QUIETLY): Okay, come on.
Okay. Hop in. There you go.
Good job. Buckle up, kiddo.
♪
(HORN HONKING)
Damn.
It's my dad!
All right, come on.
Irina!
(MAN CLEARS THROAT)
You got to go with your dad now, okay?
You're gonna be okay, I promise.
It's okay.
(ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES)
- Good Morning, Dr. Bull. - No.
No? I'm sorry. It's not a good morning?
No. It may well be a good morning.
That was just a preemptive "no."
Preemptive "no"?
I like to start some conversations
by setting expectations as low as possible.
And beginning with a "no" usually gets that done.
See? I can tell by the look on your face, it's working.
Okay, the thing is, I need a favor.
No. See? That wasn't bad, was it?
The first one kind of softened you up,
took the sting out of it.
You took it like a champ.
Okay, so, it's not really a favor.
- I have a friend. - Oh, lucky you.
And he could really use your help.
He's not looking for a freebie.
He's willing to pay.
He was just worried that if he cold-called you,
you wouldn't agree to meet with him.
And why would he think that?
Well, given what he does for a living.
And what's that?
No.
No? "No" what?
No, I'm not gonna tell you what he does for a living
because you're gonna go over to the conference room
where he's waiting, and you're gonna ask him yourself.
Are you saying "no" to me?
Well, it's more of a preemptive "no."
See, you took it like a champ.
You're gonna want to bring Chunk with you.
HANK: Name's Hank.
Hank Alston. Danny tell you about me?
Uh, well, not very much.
Former Army Ranger?
(CHUCKLES) Former a lot of things.
But what I am right now is a child recovery agent.
A child recovery agent?
Not familiar with that line of work.
Well, I wasn't either till I got into it.
Turns out, abduction by a family member is
the single most common type of child abduction worldwide.
That I did know.
The way it works in the United States...
One parent abducts a child, takes 'em overseas,
there's really very little legal recourse
for the other parent to do anything stateside.
And that's when, I'm guessing, a guy like you steps in.
- There you go. - BULL: This problem that
Danny mentioned you were having...
It's related to recovering children?
So what'd they get you on? Kidnapping?
Nope. No, they're coming after me for fraud.
This woman...
Heather Shaughnessy... she hired me about a year ago.
Got custody of her daughter in the divorce,
but agreed to let her ex have visitation.
The guy grew up in Moscow.
So on one of his visits, he just up and flew back to Russia,
took the little girl with him.
And the State Department couldn't do anything,
because Russia's not one
of our Hague Convention treaty partners.
HANK: So I got on a plane,
figured I'd spend a couple weeks
in-country, come up with an extraction plan,
reunite the girl with her mom, that would be that.
Just like I've done a dozen other times.
In Russia?
Never in Russia.
Anyway, second
I got boots on the ground I realized
this wasn't gonna be business as usual.
Turned out the dad has ties to organized crime.
He was always surrounded by muscle,
and rarely left the girl alone.
Seemed like the chances
of getting her out were slim to none.
Then why not call the whole thing off?
Tell Heather Shaughnessy you couldn't do it?
Now you're staring at 15 years.
Not an easy call to make.
You ever met a parent whose child has been taken?
Whose kid is out there, but they can't get to 'em?
Besides, I'm a Ranger. I was trained to do the impossible.
Or at least trained to believe I could do the impossible.
So what exactly went wrong?
They caught up with us on a public street.
Dad's goon brandished a firearm.
At that point, situation became unsafe for the child.
Had no choice but to let her go.
Plus, Dad got a good look at me,
so there was no coming back and trying again.
So I came home.
BULL: And that's when Ms. Shaughnessy went to the FBI?
Look, I get it.
200 grand's a lot to pay for nothing.
Except it isn't nothing. Even in failure.
I had to cover my expenses, I had to hire fixers,
bribe a couple bureaucrats to make sure
I had a way out of the country.
None of that comes cheap.
BULL: Thank you for stopping by, Mr. Alston.
Mr. Palmer and I are gonna discuss a few things.
We'll be in touch.
Look, I get why you're skeptical.
I know it all sounds pretty shady.
Well, Mr. Alston, we're not implying...
I'm no saint.
When I left the service, I struggled.
Drank too much, got in some fights.
I was so used to having a mission
that working mall security back in Georgia just kind of...
I was lost.
And one night, I'm having beers
with a high school buddy. He starts talking
about how his crazy ex up and left,
took their boy to Mexico.
Do I know anyone who could help bring him back?
And I realized I could help.
And I did help.
And something clicked. I had a purpose again.
(ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES)
Please.
I don't have a family.
I only have my work, and I'm good at it.
Thanks for your time.
I'll... I'll be waiting for your call.
Synced & corrected by -robtor- www.addic7ed.com
BENNY: It's open.
Boy, are you hard to get a hold of all of a sudden.
Why aren't you answering your phone?
Debate prep, debate prep, debate prep.
Got to write an opening statement.
No more than 90 seconds,
no less than 75.
Two more weeks, thank goodness.
So, did you hear?
Your opponent finally acknowledged you today.
REPORTER: A.D.A. Messina, is this finally
turning into a two-man race?
I'm sorry. Who-who would the other man be? (LAUGHS)
I'm kidding. I'm kidding.
Look, Benjamin Colón and I go way back.
All right, he's a fantastic person, he's a nice man.
The question is, is he really someone
you would want to be the district attorney
of the greatest city on earth?
I mean, based on his record, I wouldn't think so.
All right? The man walked away from the D.A.'s office
eight years ago to go into private practice
with a firm that all but guarantees,
"You know, if you pay us enough money,
"we can pick a jury
that will give you the verdict you want."
I mean, come on.
Is that what we really want in a D.A.?
Someone who's happy to sell justice to the highest bidder?
Doesn't sound right to me.
- (BENNY LAUGHS) - I would think that voters have to...
- (CLICKS KEY) - Ah. Okay.
Isn't he the one that you told me about
that everyone said withheld evidence
when you two were working as A.D.A.s?
Well, that's what I heard.
But it doesn't make it true.
Look, I'd much rather tell them about me, okay?
Me I can talk about, me I can vouch for.
Well, he didn't hesitate to talk about you
at that press conference this morning.
Look, I'm just saying
that maybe this debate is a good time to level
the playing field.
Benny, I just want you to win.
Listen, it will be what it will be, okay?
I got to run my race, and Messina's got to run his.
Now, why don't you get out of here so that way I can write
this opening statement.
Well, you still got my vote.
TAYLOR: So our new client travels
to foreign countries, bribes officials,
goes onto private property and kidnaps children?
When he's successful at what he sets out to do, yes.
And that doesn't make him a criminal?
No. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.
If one parent steals a child
from the rightful custodial parent,
then flees to a country
where the rightful custodial parent has no legal standing,
what else is there to do? Just give up?
CHUNK: And Hank's not answerable
for what he does in a foreign country.
Not in our courts anyway.
He's only answerable for what he does in this country.
Beg to differ. He sold his services in this country
to a citizen of this country.
Marissa's right, and that is precisely why
the government is charging him with fraud
and not bribery, not kidnapping, or any other crime
that would be considered illegal in this country.
That's why we have to build our case around intent.
Intent?
If we can prove Hank genuinely intended
to rescue that little girl, then there is no fraud.
And if there is no fraud, there is no case.
How the hell are we gonna prove intent?
As far as I can tell, there's not a shred of evidence
that the man did anything but take that woman's money,
fly to Russia and have himself a nice little vacay.
We are obviously gonna need our client's help with that.
And we know he's done this kind of work before,
and for lots of different people, so all we have to do is
demonstrate that fact, show his track record of success.
And that is gonna go a long way with the jury.
What do you mean, "no"?
I mean no.
I can't give you a list of the names
of satisfied customers.
First thing I tell a parent once they get their child back
is to disappear.
Vanish. Do anything they have to
to avoid retaliation, and they do.
A lot of them change their names,
walk away from good jobs and friends and family.
I can't very well track 'em down, ask 'em
to compromise themselves because I'm in a bad situation.
You two guys okay?
- I'm good. - We're good.
I mean, I know our client didn't promise up front
that he could guarantee that he could bring the child home,
but still, she took out a second mortgage
- to pay that man. - That's very compelling,
but we need a jury who understands it's irrelevant.
How is that irrelevant? And why didn't
the man just give her back her money when things fell apart?
For the same reason we don't give our fee back
whenever we lose a case.
I mean, just because we lose every once in a while
doesn't mean it wasn't our intent to win.
And the same goes for Hank.
Sometimes you pay for the process,
and the outcome is not guaranteed.
For its first witness, the prosecution would like to call
Ms. Heather Shaughnessy.
Nothing like starting off with a bang.
- (GAVEL BANGS) - And at this point you'd paid him...
Almost $150,000,
which was everything I had.
And the thing was, every time
I would talk to Hank, he would ask for more money.
The mission was going on longer than expected.
He had to bribe this one, he had to pay off this one.
I had to go to the bank, get a loan on my house.
OLSEN: I-I have to ask, Ms. Shaughnessy, if Hank Alston
never gave you proof of his progress
locating or retrieving Irina,
why on earth did you keep giving him money?
What choice did I have?
He said he could bring my baby back.
I had to have my baby back.
And I was a fool.
I can see that now.
My husband stole my child, the bank took my house.
And that fraud...
stole any hope I had!
And now my child is sick, and there is nothing
that I can do to help her.
Did she just say her daughter is sick?
That's what it sounded like.
Did you just testify that your daughter is ill?
Is this new information?
I got a call at 3:00 a.m. this morning.
It was a doctor in Moscow in a hospital.
He had my daughter,
but he didn't have any vaccination records.
No records at all.
She has a fever,
and they can't figure out why.
And they need my help, but I can't help them.
CHUNK: Objection. Your Honor, we all feel
for Ms. Shaughnessy, but everything that she's testifying
as it relates to her daughter's possible illness
is both hearsay and irrelevant.
We have no idea of knowing whether or not
the phone call actually happened.
We don't know who the man on the other end of the phone was,
if he was a doctor or not.
We don't even know if her daughter is truly sick.
And none of this has anything to do
with my client or the matter at hand.
I can't help her!
I can't find the vaccination records
because they're in a box, and I had to leave my house,
and I can't find it.
- Your Honor... - And I don't have the money to go
- to Moscow because he took it from me. - JUDGE: Ms. Shaughnessy.
- And now... - Your Honor, objection!
- JUDGE: Ms. Shaughnessy. - ...instead of being there,
where I'd actually be useful,
- which is with her! - (GAVEL BANGING)
Ms. Shaughnessy.
(CRYING)
And now the judge is gonna tell us we won the point,
but they won the game.
Mr. Palmer, your objection is sustained.
The jury will disregard everything having to do
with the possible illness of Ms. Shaughnessy's daughter.
BULL: Right.
And they're gonna forget their cell phone numbers
and the first time they had sex. I'm warning the witness
to limit her testimony to direct answers
to the questions put to her.
Is that understood?
Yes, Your Honor.
I apologize, Your Honor. (SNIFFLES)
Do you have any more questions for this witness?
Not at this time, Your Honor.
Then let's take a 30-minute recess.
On a scale from one to ten,
how do you guys think we're doing?
We're talking fractions. Fractions of fractions.
About the only thing my team at the FBI could verify
is Mr. Alston's military record.
He was, in fact, an Army Ranger.
And what about the other claims the defendant made
to convince Ms. Shaughnessy to purchase
his so-called services; The dozen or so families
he allegedly helped, for example?
Well, there's no record of any of that.
As far as we can tell, Mr. Alston knew
that Ms. Shaughnessy was desperate, and he...
told her what she wanted to hear.
OLSEN: And his trip to Russia, did he make that up, too?
CAMARGO: No. Mr. Alston did travel to Russia.
His name can be found on airline passenger manifests.
But there's no indication that he attempted to
locate Irina Belov while he was over there.
None of the government agencies he claimed to have
had contact with have any record of him.
There's no attainable surveillance that puts him
near the music school that he claims to have staked out.
So if Mr. Alston wasn't trying
to rescue a little girl,
do you have any evidence indicating
what he was doing in Russia?
Well, uh, he certainly appeared
to be enjoying himself.
OLSEN: And what makes you say that?
His credit card transactions have him staying
at some nice hotels in the best parts of town,
eating at some fancy restaurants.
And on what I can only imagine was one particularly wild night,
Mr. Alston charged $20,000 to a high-end strip club
called the Kitty Kat Kabaret.
OLSEN: No further questions for this witness.
Agent Camargo.
$20,000, that's a... that's a lot of drinks.
A lot of dances.
Like I said, a wild night.
(CHUCKLES) Maybe. Maybe not.
You ever heard of a man named Dmitri Bulgakov?
Um, sorry, I have not, no.
According to our research, he's the registered owner
of the Kitty Kat Kabaret.
I guess I'll have to take your word for it.
Yeah. Now, Agent Camargo,
would it surprise you to learn that Interpol has identified
Dmitri Bulgakov, the owner of said strip club,
as a suspected money launderer
for the very same crime syndicate
that Irina's father has been associated with?
The witness will answer the question.
I did not know that, no.
But now that you do,
wouldn't you agree that it's just as likely that,
rather than spending all that money on dances
and champagne, that in all probability,
it was a bribe to get information
on the location
of Irina Belov and her father?
Objection. This calls for speculation.
CHUNK: Your Honor,
Agent Camargo has an extensive background
investigating transnational organized crime in the Bureau.
She knows how information is gathered in a place like Russia,
in a city like Moscow.
I'm simply asking for her professional opinion.
Overruled. Ask your question again, Mr. Palmer,
and the witness will answer it.
Again,
isn't it possible that Hank Alston
paid $20,000 to Dmitri Bulgakov as a bribe
in exchange for information
on the whereabouts of Irina Belov
so that he could craft a plan to get her out of Moscow,
and deliver her to her mother, Heather Shaughnessy?
Sure, it's possible.
CHUNK: And one other thing.
You mentioned that you could find no evidence
to support my client's claim that he had done
this kind of work successfully for other families.
Not a shred of evidence, no.
And did you find any evidence
- to the contrary? - Excuse me?
I would think that disgruntled ex-clients
would be easy to find... if he had any.
So my question for you is
were you able to find any?
No, we were not.
CHUNK: No further questions, Your Honor.
- (KNOCKS) - BENNY: It's open.
- Sorry to intrude. - Hey...
Twice in one week. What's the occasion?
I know last time we spoke you said that
you would run your race and Messina would run his.
Mm-hmm.
That's all I know how to do.
But Messina's dragging your name through the mud
every chance he gets.
Whether it's you leaving the D.A.'s office
to come work for TAC, or how you worked
for a corrupt boss all those years, like David Sherman.
I never saw an ounce of corruption
the whole time I was there.
He doesn't miss an opportunity to let the voters know that
you're unfit to be New York's district attorney.
Like I said, I cannot control what he says.
I can't control how he runs his campaign.
The only campaign I can control is my own.
What's this?
Our friend Mr. Kiehl wanted you to see it.
He thought you would find it useful.
Okay, so two years ago...
Right before he was promoted to head of the trial division.
Messina completed a stint in an outpatient
alcohol rehabilitation program.
Good for him.
So you know what that means.
He was an outpatient.
He was still handling cases.
So?
So it strongly suggests that he may have very well
been impaired while doing the job.
And Kiehl thinks that maybe we might be able to
get some people in the D.A.'s office
to go on the record about it.
Who are you?
And what have you done to my sister?
Izzy... (SCOFFS)
This sounds like
Messina had a personal problem and he took care of it.
It's to be applauded,
not used as a billy club against him.
And I'd agree with you, except Kiehl doesn't think
he actually did take care of it.
Apparently, a few weeks ago, Messina's campaign
had a big fundraiser event.
Messina left before he was scheduled to speak.
And his staff told everyone that it was an asthma attack.
Something about the flowers at the venue.
He was actually rushed to the hospital
for alcohol poisoning.
They had to pump his stomach.
Well, uh... He still didn't break any laws.
No, but he got
so out of control that he nearly killed himself.
Plus, he had his staff lie about it.
I'm sorry, I don't think that's the person
most New Yorkers want to be their top prosecutor.
(CHUCKLES)
What would you have me do?
Huh? Would you have me call a press conference
and announce that the man has a drinking problem?
That's not me. I'm not that guy.
Kiehl says we can leak it anonymously.
And he swears it will never be traced back to you, he just...
...wants your blessing.
Oh. O-Okay.
Well, uh, thank him for me.
Tell him I get it.
And also tell him, "Not until hell freezes over."
(GAVEL BANGS)
I knew from doing my homework that the father's driver
was his bodyguard, his enforcer.
I also knew he carried a Yarygin, MP-443 Grach.
That gun can fire 17 or 18 rounds, depending.
If I'd have made a run for it with little Irina,
that's 17 or 18 chances for him to try to stop me.
More importantly,
that's 17 or 18 chances he might have hit her.
CHUNK: And...
what about the government's assertion that you,
you never really tried to rescue Irina,
that you were on some sort of a vacation
at your client's expense?
Irina, the little girl,
she rides horses at a school on Begovaya Street twice a week.
The Arabian is her favorite.
She loves practicing the piano but hates performing.
She makes her father take her to this restaurant
called Marina's for breakfast every Sunday.
I think it's 'cause it's the only place in Moscow
with decent American pancakes.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
I know all this 'cause I did my job, did my homework.
I tried my damnedest
to bring that little girl back to her mother,
just like I try my damnedest for all my clients.
I don't deny that I failed.
But failing is very different
than choosing not to do the work.
No further questions, Your Honor.
(MURMURING)
I know you can't see their faces,
but I think they're starting to hear us.
For what it's worth, I found his explanation
very reasonable.
Very credible.
I'm telling you, he's a good man.
Your Honor, the people would like to present a video
that we believe proves the witness Hank Alston
just perjured himself.
CHUNK: Objection, Your Honor.
This is the first that we're hearing about any video.
We've not had a chance to examine
any supposed evidence,
let alone attempt to authenticate the video.
The video is a recording
of Mr. Alston.
He can authenticate it, Your Honor.
Very well. I'll allow it.
Yeah, man, I've been working on my tan, but I get red first.
I burn first thing.
Cheers.
Is that you in the video, Mr. Alston?
I actually don't know.
Excuse me?
(CHUCKLES)
You're under oath, Mr. Alston,
and I must tell you, the man on that screen
certainly looks like you.
Now I'm gonna ask you one more time,
is that you in the video?
You're right. It certainly looks like me.
But I have no recollection of being in that place,
I can't recall ever owning that shirt,
and my hand to God, I'm well aware of the fact
that I'm under oath.
MARISSA: Bull, do you have any idea
what's actually on that video,
what this is about?
- Not a clue. - OLSEN: Perhaps
if we play a little more of it?
With the court's permission?
Perhaps that will refresh the witness's memory?
I'm told it's, uh, at a bar in Bangkok.
- You've been to Bangkok? - I have.
Your Honor, just for the record,
my client's admission that he has been to Bangkok
in no way constitutes authentication of this video.
Duly noted.
The jury will keep in mind
that the video has not been authenticated.
That notwithstanding, let's see a little more of it.
Perhaps it will refresh the witness's memory.
Obviously, if it doesn't,
we'll react accordingly.
Thank you, Your Honor.
MAN: So why abduction recovery, man?
Like, what do you dig so much about the gig?
What's not to love, bro?
Think about it.
Desperate people are stupid people.
Desperate parents? You just hit the jackpot.
They'll give you as much money as you want.
You take a little, buy a plane ticket,
have yourself a nice vacay, and just...
(CLICKS TONGUE) bank the rest.
Spin some crap about the mission going south...
Blah, blah, blah... what are they gonna do about it?
(CHUCKLES)
To me.
(JURY MURMURING)
(VIDEO STOPS)
That's definitely not me.
I never been in that place, I never wore those clothes,
and I've never said those words, not to anyone, not ever.
Was that not your face? Was that not your voice?
It appears to be my face, it sure sounded like my voice,
but that doesn't make it me.
Well, why don't we leave that for the jury to decide?
No further questions.
Chunk, ask where the tape came from.
Look at his face. Trust me, he knows.
You have a theory about that video, don't you?
I sure do.
You care to share it with all of us?
Objection. Counsel is inviting
the witness to speculate.
CHUNK: On the contrary, Your Honor.
This witness is an expert at getting into
and getting out of places that he has not been invited to
or is he allowed.
Now, he is in many ways, a master of disguise,
a master of illusion.
And in so many words, he has intimated to this court
that what we have just seen is an illusion.
I would very much like the jury
to have the benefit of his expert opinion
as to how it might have come to be.
Well done.
Given that we played your tape...
...despite the fact that it remains
unauthenticated by the witness,
it doesn't seem unreasonable to allow that same witness
an opportunity to explain what he thinks we saw.
The witness will answer the question.
I believe it's what's known as a deepfake.
And would you please explain to the jury
what a deepfake is?
It's like Photoshop for video.
You take a person in an existing video
and you replace them with someone else's likeness,
someone else's voice.
They're becoming very easy, very inexpensive to make.
You see a lot of them on social media.
Uh, okay, and-and just to be clear,
you have no idea where this video came from,
and you have no idea who made it?
I can guess.
Look, there are only five or six of us
who do this for a living.
Ms. Shaughnessy's job,
while it might sound like a lot of money,
is actually on the more modest end of things.
There are million-dollar assignments out there.
I'm guessing a competitor heard about the trouble I was in
and saw a way to put me out of business, thin the herd.
That'd be my guess.
That's an interesting theory.
And I guess the only way that we'll ever know
is by asking my colleague who gave him the tape.
If I can please ask counsel to approach the bench?
Well, here we are.
And may I ask how you came into possession of this tape?
It was given to me by someone.
I know that. Who?
Someone w-who is best described as a colleague
- of Mr. Alston's. - A competitor?
I suppose some might consider him that.
(JUDGE SIGHS)
You've put us in an interesting position, Mr. Olsen.
Now we can bring in this "competitor..."
He's out of the country at the moment.
...put him on the stand,
dare him to commit perjury.
Or right here, right now,
you can put us all out of our misery.
Yes, Your Honor.
I know what I have to do, Your Honor.
Then we'll resume.
If it pleases the court,
it's come to our attention that the integrity of the tape
we just offered into evidence may not be
all that was originally represented to us.
With Your Honor's permission,
we'd like to no longer have it considered for authentication
or to be considered in any way as relevant evidence
with regard to this case.
So ordered.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
I would ask that you ignore everything you saw on this tape.
Its contents are going to be struck from the record
and you will put no weight to anything you saw or heard
during its presentation.
On the other hand, any inference
you might take away from the prosecutor
offering it to the court
and moments later withdrawing it from the court
are yours freely to make.
I got to tell you, Marissa,
it's moments like these that make life worth living.
(PHONE VIBRATING)
(GRUNTS SOFTLY)
(GROANS)
Hello?
Sorry to wake you, but I wanted to let you know
I got a hot tip from a guy that I used to work with
at the Bureau.
He fields complaints from parents overseas
who think Hank and the people who do what he does
broke the law.
The point is, um, I got an address for a woman
they are 99% sure Hank worked for about a year and a half ago.
Aha.
Hey, I'm not too late, am I?
You guys haven't rested your case or anything, right?
No. We could still get her on the stand.
In fact, if her story checks out,
she could be our first witness on Monday.
(EXHALES) Fingers crossed she even opens the door
when I knock on it.
So how does it work at that so-called "law office"
you practice at, Benny?
Do they have somebody at the door who frisks you
to make sure you have enough money
before letting you inside?
Is there a big sign outside the front that says,
"Justice for Sale"?
(LAUGHTER)
BENNY: Listen,
here is the real truth.
Where I work,
the people I work with,
we work with the Federal Public Defender's Office,
the State Public Defender's Office,
Legal Aid, and a variety of nonprofits in every borough.
In fact, you'd be amazed at how many times
in the last eight years I defended innocent people,
often unemployed and in some cases mentally challenged,
that your office decided to prosecute
despite lack of evidence.
That is why,
one of my first priorities when I become district attorney
is to beef up the Conviction Integrity Unit
so that way we can help right the wrongs
- that you... - First of all, pardon me.
- Right what wrongs? - MODERATOR: Mr. Messina, Mr. Messina,
if you could please give Mr. Colón a chance to finish...
There's nothing wrong with locking up bad guys, Benny.
That's the job.
Or have you been getting rich
helping criminals walk free for so long
that you've forgotten about that?
Because I highly doubt that those pro bono clients
you're talking about are the ones paying your salary.
How much do you bill an hour these days, Benny?
$800? A thousand?
$1,500 an hour?
Let's face it, folks.
Benny Colón does not care about you.
Because Benny is all about the Benjamins.
(LAUGHTER, MURMURING)
I know you don't want to hear this, but...
"Benny's all about the Benjamins" is trending.
(MUSIC PLAYING OVER PHONE)
It'll blow over.
It's a meme.
♪
(SOUND OF CASH REGISTER DING)
If something like that makes a difference
between winning and losing... Welcome to the 21st century.
A lot of times it does.
Benny, the guy you're running against is a bully.
He's also a liar.
He has questionable legal ethics and as we all know,
a drinking problem so severe,
that he ended up in the hospital recently.
Let me level this playing field for you.
Let me leak the story about him getting his stomach pumped.
The voters have a right to know.
This guy is dangerous.
Just give me the word, Benny.
Okay.
Do what you got to do.
MATILDA: My twins were six when everything fell apart.
Lucas, my youngest, he was just three.
I wanted them to have as much normalcy
as possible during the divorce.
And we'd always gone to Brazil
for Christmas to see their grandparents.
So I agreed that Beto could still take them that year.
Then he never brought them back.
Didn't let them contact me.
I tried to go to São Paulo myself,
but I couldn't get a visa.
(CRYING): I didn't know if I'd ever see my kids again.
(SNIFFLES)
And then Hank...
he saved us.
He brought your kids back.
(EXHALES): Yeah.
Got them across the border on a plane,
and back into my arms without so much as a scratch on them.
Would you be willing to go to court?
Tell that story under oath to a jury?
You want me to go to court? In Manhattan?
Hank needs to prove that he's not a fraud.
And your story would go a long way.
No. I'm sorry.
I-I can't. I-I want to help Hank, but...
We can keep your identity a secret.
We can keep your address a secret. We can get you in
and out... You don't understand.
It's Beto. He's here in the Northeast.
He's looking for us.
A friend called just yesterday.
He tried to bribe her to get the address.
I mean... you found us.
I just...
I can't.
(LINE RINGING)
BULL: You still in Pennsylvania?
Yeah, I'm right in front of the house.
And?
Well, and the good news is this woman's story
proves that Hank is the real deal.
The bad news is that her ex-husband is in New York
and he's looking for her.
She's just too terrified of him to testify.
I'm sorry, Bull.
Please tell Hank that I'm sorry I let him down.
Wait a second, so you're telling me that this woman's ex
is back in the country trying to steal back his kids
and you're right in front of the address he's looking for?
Yeah. That's exactly what I'm telling you.
Well, whatever you do, don't move.
I'm gonna make some calls.
If we can't get a satisfied mom to testify,
maybe angry dad is the next best thing.
Tilda! I know you're in there!
Tilda, open up this door or I'll kick it in!
You know, destruction of property
carries jail time in Pennsylvania.
Who are you? Where's Matilda?
- Where are my kids? - Oh, they're long gone.
I'm Danny James. I'm guessing you're Beto Fontes?
I'll take that as a yes.
What's this?
That's a subpoena to appear in federal court.
As a witness for the defense in the case
of The United States v. Hank Alston.
Hank Alston?
I don't think so.
Oh, I do.
Federal judges don't like to be ignored.
If you don't comply with this subpoena,
you'll be arrested, then deported.
And almost certainly barred reentry into the United States.
So... I'd show up if I were you.
CHUNK: Thank you for joining us today, Mr. Fontes.
Now you are a resident of São Paolo, Brazil,
is that correct?
Yes. That's correct.
And what brings you to the States?
I'm here on business.
Oh, would that be professional business
or personal business?
Just business.
I'm sorry, you're not answering my question, Mr. Fontes.
Is the nature of your business
professional or personal?
MARISSA: I don't know about this, Bull.
This man clearly hates our client.
How can we be sure he's gonna say what we want?
Actually, we're counting on the fact that he won't.
And then that he will.
Listen and learn.
CHUNK: Let's try it a different way.
Does my client, Hank Alston,
have anything to do with your business here
in the States?
Your client steals children.
He does this for money.
You're not answering my question, Mr. Fontes.
Step one.
Your Honor, as Mr. Fontes is clearly unwilling
to answer the questions being asked,
unwilling to cooperate at all,
I request permission to treat him as a hostile witness.
Permission granted.
Mr. Fontes,
you've just been declared a hostile witness.
Do you know what that means?
No. Nor do I care.
It means that I get to ask you leading questions.
Do you know what a leading question is?
It means that I get to ask you a question
that contains the answer that I'm looking for.
Now, normally I don't get to do that, it's not allowed.
But because you've been declared hostile...
You know what? Here, let me...
let me give you an example.
You are here... in the United States
because this is where your children live, is that correct?
In fact, you came here to steal them back.
Didn't you?
You do know that that's against U.S. law?
And by the way, so is perjury.
I'm waiting for an answer, sir.
The witness will answer the question
or be held in contempt.
I'm here to see my children.
I have a right to see my children.
Well, not according to U.S. law you don't.
Not since you kidnapped them from their mother.
(MURMURING)
Sorry, I forgot to tell you.
We're deep into step two.
You kidnapped your children from their mother,
their legal guardian, and you held them captive
in your home in Brazil, didn't you?
No.
No? Yes, you did.
In fact, the only reason those kids are safely back
in the States with their mother is because that man,
my client, flew down to Brazil
and rescued them.
"Rescued them"?
From me? They are mine.
I am their father!
Your client is the kidnapper! The thief!
He snuck into my home in the middle of the night
and snatched my children from their beds!
I saw him... climbing over the wall with my little boy!
He is the criminal, not me!
So you're testifying under oath
that you saw my client break into your home
and take your children for the sole purpose
of returning them to their mother,
who the U.S. government says is their primary parent?
Hell yes.
Ta-da.
Ah, two of my favorite words in the English language.
"Not guilty."
I can't thank you guys enough.
And Matilda and her kids?
They're safe... our team made sure they were safe.
I don't know what to say.
What's next? Where you jetting off to?
Well...
I think the next thing is I shave off all this hair,
get some different clothes, get another plane ticket to Russia,
try one more time to bring that lady's little girl home.
Well, let us know how it goes.
Be careful.
I will.
Mr. Palmer, Dr. Bull.
♪
MESSINA: Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you
for coming out here today.
After a great deal of soul-searching,
I have decided to...
withdraw from the race
for district attorney of the city of New York.
Um...
Well, the truth is
that I've been struggling for quite some time
with a number of personal problems.
And I thought I had licked them.
But clearly... I'm not quite there yet.
So for that reason, I'm gonna take a step back.
And I'm gonna focus on my recovery
and my health...