For the People (2018) s01e01 Episode Script
Pilot
1 [ VOCALIZING .]
Uh a-ah, yeah, uh, uh, yeah Uh a-ah, yeah, uh, uh, yeah Uh a-ah, yeah, uh, uh, yeah All day, all day, every day, every day We was on that block until we made a way, we made a way Day to day, man, that's the only way, only way They gon' know my name until it fade away Way, way, way, fade away They gon' know my name until it Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah [ VOCALIZING .]
It's locked.
When the door opens, you can go in first.
- I know you were here first.
- Doesn't matter.
If it didn't matter, you wouldn't be here first.
Did it start? It starts at 8:00.
It's 8:00.
- It's 7:00.
Never regretted, the second I said it Ahh.
What is that? Breakfast taco.
Austin-style.
- Scrambled eggs, onions - You're not allowed to eat in here.
- Why not? - Because you're not allowed to eat in here.
There's a sign out front.
I didn't see a sign.
Ignorance is no excuse.
You're a prosecutor, aren't you? Why don't you eat that over there? Why? Because I'm a public defender, or because of the migas? Do I have to choose? Know, know, life on Earth is so unpredictable Okay-kay, hold up, let me say, yes, I fade away Fade away, fade away, fade away, fade away, fade away They gon' know my name until it fade away Why didn't you get me up this morning? I wanted to come down with you.
I got up at 4:30.
It would literally be impossible for me to thank you enough - for not getting me up.
- [ CHUCKLES .]
Where's your boyfriend? I have no boyfriend today.
And Seth has no girlfriend.
We're keeping this professional.
This life, yeah, it done ate away Hard times never stayed away But one thing I know day to day I'ma do somethin' 'fore I fade away Fade away, fade away, fade away [ BOTH CHUCKLE .]
They gon' know my name until it fade away Uh, hey.
She was here first.
Oh.
I didn't realize.
TINA: Assistant United States Attorneys to the right.
Federal Public Defenders to the left.
You can sit together if you like, but if I've learned anything after 27 years of doing this, it's that you don't like to sit together.
This is the swearing in for incoming AUSAs and FPDs.
Please check your ticket.
Make sure you're on the right flight.
My name is Tina Krissman.
I am the clerk of court, I am on the second floor of this building, and I am available every day from 7:50 a.
m.
to 4:40 p.
m.
to ignore your questions.
I smell onions.
I will find you.
Chief Judge Nicholas Byrne.
JUDGE BYRNE: There are two great courts in America the Supreme Court, and the one you're sitting in right now.
This is the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York the oldest, most prestigious, highest-profile trial court in America.
This is the court that heard claims over the sinking of the Titanic.
This is the court that heard the case against the Rosenbergs.
Aaron Burr was a lawyer in this court.
Are you worthy? You've probably heard that some people call this the "Mother Court.
" For as long as you work here, you will call it home.
The cases are hard, the stakes are high, the lawyers on the other side are better than you, and the judges are smarter than you.
Some of you won't succeed.
Some of you are not worthy.
But for those of you who are, your time here will be the highlight of your career.
ALL: "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Government of the United States, that I will maintain the respect due to the Courts of Justice and the Judicial Officers, and that I will demean myself as an attorney, proctor, advocate, and counselor of this Court uprightly, according to law, so help me God.
" Welcome to the Mother Court.
Good morning, everyone.
I'm Jill Carlan.
I'm the Federal Public Defender.
Inside these envelopes is your first case, and let me warn you You're not gonna win.
You're up against the United States government, and the government almost always wins because they have all the power.
Now, here's the good news.
You don't need to win.
You need a win.
Reduce the charge, get a piece of critical testimony thrown out, get your client released on bail get something.
If you can do that, you've won.
And I know you can do that.
Or you wouldn't be here.
My name is Roger Gunn.
I am your boss.
This is your first case.
I expect you to win.
[ SIGHS .]
I got a good one.
What'd you score? - Terrorism.
- Terrorism.
Sweet.
Nail it.
What's "duty"? The attorney on duty picks up the new cases that come in.
Do you need someone today? Yes, but you have to have some experience to be on duty, Sandra.
I have experience.
You have experience clerking on the Supreme Court, which is great experience for being a Justice on the Supreme Court.
Doesn't have anything to do with this job.
I'll put you on duty when you're ready.
I'm ready.
Okay.
You're on duty.
Great.
Thank you.
So, what do I do? Use your experience.
And if chewing was to show you how much I cared It's okay.
I like a challenge.
You're the only person I've ever met who goes out of her way to make an extremely hard job even harder.
Do you at least recognize how weird that is? [ CHUCKLES .]
I do.
See, I'm happy with my envelope.
- What did you get? - Ah, some trumped-up fraud charge.
I figure I could either read the lies from the AUSA or talk to my client.
- Mm.
- I trust my client.
You two know each other from law school? Yeah, first day.
Torts.
Front row.
Ah.
Too close for torts, but that's cool.
- Where you living in the city? - Upper East Side.
Ah.
Less cool all of a sudden.
It's her place.
I'm just squatting there.
Our promises broken Nemesis is our token Mm, mm, mm, mm You don't mess around.
I have a bail hearing.
Why would I be messing around? No, I-I just meant the Doesn't matter.
Uh, I heard you were a procedural guru.
- Can I ask you a question? - If you have to, but I don't want to be the help desk for every man in this office too lazy to look something up for himself.
Were you too lazy to look this up for yourself? I can look this up myself.
If it's about your terrorism case, you shouldn't waste your time.
Why not? Um, because I don't think that's gonna be your case for very much longer.
Why would I give you his case? Because a farm animal could win this case, and that case actually matters, and if it matters, you should give it to me.
When I was clerking on the Supreme Court, this kid was writing research memos for junior partners at a mid-tier law firm.
Is that true? Leonard doesn't think you're ready for this case.
Well, he's right.
Neither one of us is ready for a case like this, but I'm at least humble enough to recognize it, and I'll work that much harder because of it.
Never been a fan of humility.
- He took your case? - Stole it.
- Stole it? - That's what I'm saying.
And then he said I worked at a "mid-tier law firm.
" I did not work at a mid-tier law firm.
Okay.
That doesn't help.
Don't worry about the case, Seth.
Don't.
Do a good job on your new case, and you'll get recognized because you're good and decent, and you do things the right way, which is what matters in the long run, okay? - Okay? - [ CHUCKLES .]
Now, I have to go because I have my first appearance as an attorney in the Southern District of New York.
So do I.
Well, let's go kick some ass then.
[ ELEVATOR BELL DINGS .]
[ CLEARS THROAT .]
Ms.
Krissman.
I'm Sandra Bell from the FPD.
I'm on duty today.
So, uh, if any cases come in, I will be right here.
That's not a great place to be, because when cases come in, I e-mail them to you, which is what I did 15 minutes ago.
I don't have any service here.
Then you probably don't know that your hearing starts in eight minutes.
Courtroom 601.
Avoid the elevator.
Take the stairs.
And be grateful you called me Ms.
Krissman.
[ POLICE RADIO CHATTER .]
I'm Sandra Bell.
I'm your attorney.
Mohammed Fayed.
[ SIGHS .]
What's the charge? 18 USC 2332(A)(3).
You pick this up on duty? - Yes.
- Tough day to be on duty.
2332(A)(3) is attempted "Attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against any property that is owned, leased, or used by the United States or by any department or agency of the United States.
" I know.
What was my client allegedly attempting to destroy? Leonard Knox.
Sandra Bell.
CLERK: All rise! Your client tried to blow up the Statue of Liberty, Sandra Bell.
SETH: Your Honor, as alleged in the complaint, Madeline Locarno was an administrative assistant at Alaria Pharmaceuticals and illegally traded on inside information regarding a merger between Alaria and Biogene Excuse me, Your Honor, but the complaint actually does not allege that.
It alleges that Ms.
Locarno passed on information to her ex-husband, who executed the trades facts which we deny.
What was the value of the trades? $9,325.
54, Your Honor.
$9,000? This is what Roger Gunn is prioritizing in the U.
S.
Attorney's Office nowadays? I thought that was fun.
Fun? We have to get out of this.
So talk to Gunn.
Get off the case.
JAY: Your Honor, this is a minor fraud charge, and we're simply asking for reasonable bail so that my client, Adam Dyle, can continue to care for his twin brother, who is dying of cancer.
[ EXHALES SHARPLY .]
I find myself unexpectedly moved by defense counsel to indignation.
Adam Dyle's brother isn't dying of cancer, because he doesn't exist.
Nor really does Adam Dyle, which isn't that man's name.
His name is Matthew Ormond.
Or wait.
No, it's Baron Heinz Geinecke.
I'm sorry.
Did I say Baron Heinz Geinecke? I meant Abigail Konogo.
It really depends on what con he's running.
They're not hard to track down, if you do a little work.
Mr.
Dyle is charged with creating the absurdly named and entirely fake "United States Bureau of Organization" to issue fake governmental purchase orders, with which he swindled hundreds of thousands of dollars of very real money from small businesses all over the New York area.
It's enough to [ INHALES, EXHALES DEEPLY .]
Well, to make you sick.
Please advise the court if there any plea discussions.
We're already talking, Your Honor.
- [ GAVEL BANGS .]
- Talking? What are we talking about? I'm offering you 15 years as opposed to life.
See? Talking.
I haven't seen the discovery yet.
Once we get bogged down in discovery, it's hard to get a deal done.
It's hard for me to get a deal done when I don't know what's in the discovery.
Listen, you seem bright, and you got dealt a bad hand here, and I'm sorry about that.
I really am.
I feel bad for you, but don't make it worse.
Because here's the thing you need to understand about me I'm the guy who makes it worse.
I'm the guy you don't want to go up against.
I didn't stumble into this case.
I saw it, I wanted it, and I took it.
Now I'm offering you a way to get out of it.
If they're offering a deal like that in a case like this, there must be something wrong with the evidence.
Maybe.
But if you want to find out, you're gonna have to reject the offer, and if you reject the offer, you're going to trial.
And if you go to trial, you're going to lose.
A big loss in a big case.
I can give it to someone else.
No.
Do you follow baseball? - Uh - In 1993, the San Francisco Giants won a record 103 games, but they still had to win the final game of the season to make the playoffs.
They had two experienced 20-game winners on their staff, but the manager decided to start Salomon Torres, a 21-year-old rookie who'd only been pitching in the major leagues for a month.
You've never been to a game? A-A few times.
Huh.
Anyway, he got destroyed.
Gave up 3 runs, 5 hits, walked 5 in 3 innings.
The Giants lost, didn't make the playoffs for four more years, and Torres went on to a forgettable career.
He never lived that game down.
Is that how you want to start your career? Talk to your client about the deal.
[ BUZZER .]
I'm really disappointed.
In you.
Specifically.
Okay.
Well, thank you for being specific.
Did you not like the way I told the judge about your fake brother dying of fake cancer or Look, I was just following Bureau protocol.
And if we're ever confronted, we're supposed to protect our identity.
People have a lot of hostility about the work we do.
[ SIGHS .]
These purchase orders were for a technology upgrade.
Why didn't you tell the judge we're entitled to an upgrade? You really believe the Bureau of Organization exists? What do you mean? Of course it exists.
I work there.
[ SCOFFS .]
The offer is 15.
I'm not saying I can get to 10, but if I can.
Wait.
10 years in jail, right? Yes.
Jail.
Federal prison.
What are the others getting? Others? What others? Th-The team.
I'm not getting off the case.
Well, I'm not asking you to get off the case.
I'm just saying that I'm not getting off the case.
The $9,000 case? Yeah, the one against the woman who broke the law? That one? Yes.
Well, it's not a problem for me.
Great.
It could be a problem for you.
Why? Oh, right.
Right.
Because you think you're gonna beat me.
You heard what the judge said.
The lawyers on the other side are better than you.
He said that to both sides.
He was looking at your side more.
His head was turned towards you.
Mm.
We can do this, right? - We can do this.
- [ BOTH CHUCKLE .]
And I can do this.
[ DOOR OPENS, CLOSES .]
Al? - [ SIGHS .]
- I didn't hear you come home.
Are you okay? I'm gonna do this.
You know how we've always said that if one of us is about to do something really risky but she really believes in it, then the other will be there to support her no matter what? We've never said that.
Really? Okay, well, can you say it to me now, please? What are you going to do, Sandra? Sandra Bell.
Send over the discovery.
You know what that means.
It means you send over the discovery right now.
We are done talking.
He's not taking the deal.
I'm gonna save Mohammed Fayed.
You rejected a plea deal without talking to me.
You said talk to my client.
I talked to my client.
Well, you didn't talk to me, and that was a mistake, and you can't afford to make mistakes like that on a job like this.
You better find something in these boxes.
[ FOOTSTEPS DEPART .]
KATE: What did you want to talk about? Well, Kate, here's the problem.
For you.
My client, and let's keep it simple and call him "Adam Dyle," couldn't have committed the alleged fraud because as you probably have tabbed there in one of your binders fraud requires an intent to deceive, and Adam didn't intend to deceive anyone.
Because he actually believes all this is real.
Crazy? Possibly.
But the upshot is, no intent, no crime.
So let's work something out here.
Are you done? I had some other cool points to make, but, yeah, sure.
[ MOUSE CLICKS .]
Yeah, he's buying the whole thing.
[ CHUCKLES .]
Yeah, everything.
That's what I'm saying.
The Bureau.
The technology upgrade.
Yeah, I've gone full "Primal Fear" on him.
[ CHUCKLING .]
Yeah, this guy's a real tool.
Tab Four of my discovery guide request jailhouse recordings.
Did you still want to make one of your cool points? LEONARD: And now she's got the discovery.
You know what's in the discovery.
You know what I know? I know you wanted the case.
So make the case.
Or I could always give it back to him.
Uh, actually, sir, can we talk? It's about opposing counsel - on the insider-trading case.
- Uh-huh.
She's my girlfriend.
Does this story get even mildly interesting at some point? - Well, we live together.
- Apparently it doesn't.
I need to be reassigned.
'Cause of your boo? Her client can waive the conflict, if that's the problem.
- Is that the problem? - I just don't understand why we're prosecuting a case like this, against a secretary for a $9,000 trade? Well, that is a problem that you don't understand that.
So l-let me spell it out for you.
You're prosecuting the case 'cause I told you to.
And I told you to prosecute the case 'cause that secretary broke the law.
Every now and then, regular, everyday people need to be reminded that there's serious consequences to breaking the law.
Whatever the law.
Insider trading.
Taxes.
Stop signs.
People start doing whatever the hell they feel like, our whole system breaks down.
Cars crash, Markets crash.
People get hurt.
You understand that? I knew about the merger.
We all did.
Everyone in the company was talking about it.
I told my ex-husband, Eric, I might be losing my job.
Because I know sometimes, when these companies merge, we lose our jobs.
I have a daughter.
And your ex-husband traded on that information without your knowledge? I guess so.
I never knew anything about it.
I didn't get anything out of this.
Are you kidding me? Motion to dismiss.
It's good.
And I'm not just complimenting your, uh your girlfriend.
If she can convince the judge there was no benefit to Ms.
Locarno, then we lose the case.
By which I mean, you lose this case.
I don't have a response to this.
Okay, first, don't ever say something like that to your boss.
Second, you don't need to respond.
You need to make it irrelevant.
Raise the stakes.
Apply the pressure.
You want to win, don't you? A superseding indictment.
With three new charges that, together, could mean significant jail time.
It's good.
Clever.
Cruel.
Vintage Roger Gunn.
He's forcing you into a deal.
This is how they win.
[ PAPERS THUD .]
I was never gonna prosecute the additional charges.
Is this supposed to make me feel better about you? We needed to pressure you to make a deal.
This is business.
I did what I had to do.
No, you did what your political, diabolical boss told you to do because you're insecure about working at a mid-tier law firm.
Mm! It was not mid-tier! Why are you making this personal, Allison? It is personal! This is personal.
She's a person.
Her name is Madeline Locarno.
She's 44.
She has a child.
And she'll go to jail.
Why are you doing this? Because I believe in it.
Has that ever crossed your mind? That I might actually believe in what I'm doing? That I might actually believe that Madeline Locarno broke the law and that there's some virtue in enforcing the law? If you believed in what you're doing, you wouldn't be doing this.
That's what I believe.
[ FOOTSTEPS DEPART .]
Are you sleeping here? I'm sleeping here.
- That bad? - Worse.
"There is some virtue in enforcing the law.
" - Who says that? - A prosecutor.
He's a prosecutor.
He's a good person.
He used to be.
He cried during "La La Land.
" Not the mark of a good person.
How's it going here? I am two boxes away from getting fired.
Are you at your limit here, Sandy? Yes, I am.
I am at my limit.
But that's where I need to be right now because that is where he needs me to be.
Okay, well, let me tell you where I need to be.
I need to be drunk anywhere, so let's compromise.
We are working for two more hours, and then we're going to drink.
And I will complain mercilessly about Seth, and you will tell me to stop, and I'll say, "Yes, you're right.
Let's go play darts.
" Then we'll go play darts, and I'll be hitting the bull's-eye every time boom, boom, boom and you'll wonder how I got so good at darts, and I'll say it's because I'm imagining Seth's face on the dart board.
What? That "team" Fayed said he was working with to blow up the Statue of Liberty? They were undercover FBI agents.
This was a sting.
There was a team of three agents.
They had been working on him for 18 months.
Fayed was working was supposed to carry what he thought was a bomb into the crown of the Statue of Liberty in a camera, but he was mistakenly arrested by a National Park Service Ranger before he could get there.
What What is this? Extra paper.
Stuff it in your bag.
You should always carry a lot of paper.
They get worried you have something they don't know about.
You know what we're doing here, right? - No.
- Then watch.
JILL: It's bad for this office.
It's bad for the FBI.
ROGER: Oh, now, see, alarm bells go off for me when Jill Carlan is worried about what's good for the FBI.
You can't win on entrapment, Jill.
And we're not trying to.
This case is about attempt, and you can't prove attempt, because he was arrested before he got to the Statue of Liberty.
Attempt only requires the defendant to take a substantial step toward the commission of a crime.
He was on Liberty Island with a bomb.
Then why was the plan always to wait to arrest him until he got to the crown? Because that's what you thought you needed to prove attempt.
They're young.
They're hungry.
They're smart.
Let them fight it out.
Are we done here? No.
We're not done.
Oh, right.
Yankees tickets? Third-base line.
You're going to the game with him? We don't go together.
We meet there.
Sometimes we go together.
He's the enemy.
No, the Red Sox are the enemy.
He's the adversary.
So we came to pick up tickets? That's what we were doing here? You weren't watching.
They now think you're gonna argue attempt, and they're gonna direct a lot of resources in that direction, but that's a loser.
This is an entrapment case, so make sure you have one.
I'm going to trial.
You're going to trial, Sandra.
[ SIGHS .]
She was here first.
I owe you one.
Spicy lamb, cumin hand-pulled noodles.
I'll have that, too.
Is that the thing to get? No idea, but it's two blocks from the courthouse, and it's lamb.
You know you're part of an important tradition in my life.
I'm going to trial tomorrow, and my tradition is now to eat with you at Hand-Pulled Noodle House Number 3 every night before the first day of trial.
Can you commit to that? My dad took me to Frimple's Diner before every high-school swim meet.
I like a tradition.
Yes.
One more night till the day - Are you nervous? - Is it that spicy? The trial.
Are you nervous about the trial? No.
I'm not.
I'm gonna win.
That's what I'd be nervous about.
One more night till the day One more night till the day One more night till the day One more night till the day Please tell the jury what happened that morning.
Well, I saw this young man come off the ferry, carrying a camera.
He was sweating, jittery.
I asked to see his camera, and that's when I realized it was a bomb.
A fake bomb made by the FBI.
I didn't know that at the time.
Were you aware at the time that, in addition to making fake bombs, the FBI had been recruiting Mr.
Fayed for 18 months? - No, ma'am.
- That he has no history of violence? No history of terrorist affiliation? That the government has no evidence indicating he's ever had any interest in terrorism prior to his being recruited by this team of agents? No, ma'am.
You're not arguing attempt.
You're arguing entrapment.
Oh.
I didn't realize.
- She's relentless.
- Yes, I know.
It's a problem.
No, it's an answer.
She likes to fight.
I just need to give her something else to fight about.
Good.
Problem solved.
You work on the ferry taking visitors to Liberty Island, Mr.
Rocton? Yes, sir.
I collect tickets.
Do you recall seeing the defendant on the ferry the morning of his arrest? I remember him well, sir.
What the hell was the point of that? - [ CLEARS THROAT .]
- That.
You remember Mr.
Fayed well, sir? - Yes.
- Hmm.
Really? How long have you worked on that ferry? - 19 years.
- 19 years.
And how many ferries a day? 25, 26.
Thousands of ferries, tens of thousands of visitors, and you want the jury to believe that you remember my client? Not just remember him.
- Remember him well? - Yes.
Well, unless your memory has been jogged - by the government, Mr.
Rocton - Objection! how could you possibly remember my client at all?! Because I quit my job because of him! That's how! Because that ferry he was on was the last ferry I ever worked.
I was down there on 9/11, ma'am.
On the island.
Right next to her.
The idea that someone would want to blow her up now? I remember.
You never, ever ask a question you don't know the answer to.
- That was a mistake.
- The mistake was getting baited into a fight.
The mistake was asking any questions at all.
- This is war.
- It is.
It is war.
Which means you have to pick your battles, point your weapon in the right direction, and know your enemy.
And right now, your biggest enemy is you.
You want to fight everyone about everything and when you fight about everything, you end up fighting about nothing.
You want me to plead guilty? No, but I don't want you to go to jail for years, which is the risk if we reject the deal and go to trial.
How could you let this happen? [ ELEVATOR BELL DINGS .]
ADAM: He's buying the whole thing.
[ CHUCKLES .]
Yeah, everything.
That's what I'm saying.
The Bureau.
The technology upgrade.
Yeah, I've gone full "Primal Fear" on him.
[ CHUCKLING .]
Yeah, this guy's a real tool.
[ SIGHS .]
[ DOOR CLOSES .]
I have to take the deal, Sandy.
I've tried everything.
I'm sure there's another move.
The thing is, the deal is good.
Good for who? For her? Or for you? What does that mean? Six months in jail and a record as a convicted felon? That's not good for anyone, especially a working-class single mother.
Why are you lecturing me? Look, the only other move is highly risky and ethically questionable, and it destroys Seth.
I don't just beat him, I destroy him.
It's the nuclear option.
This is hard, okay? I know.
[ SIGHS .]
I'm sorry.
Wait.
That's it? You're just gonna let me off the hook that easy? No, I don't accept that.
This is where you say, "If it was anybody but Seth, I don't think you'd hesitate," or, "I like the nuclear option.
" [ SIGHS .]
What happened in trial today? Something happened in trial today.
[ INHALES DEEPLY .]
I messed up today, Al.
I messed up.
[ SIGHS DEEPLY .]
I believe in you, Sandra Bell.
We live in a dangerous time.
I don't need to tell you that.
Our enemies used to be overseas, and we could see them in tanks and airplanes.
They wore uniforms, and we fought them on battlefields.
But now we're living on the battlefield, and we can't see the enemy.
They look like us.
They talk like us.
They live down the hallway from us.
We only find out who they are and the damage they want to do after they've done it.
After they've shot up a nightclub.
Or blown up a marathon.
Or brought down a building.
Or two.
The only chance we have to fight these enemies is to find out who they are before they do these terrible things, and that's what these fine agents did here.
They found a dangerous man who was willing to commit an unspeakable crime, and they stopped him.
Ms.
Bell wants you to believe that our government did this.
Ask yourself how much money, how much time would it take to convince you to blow the head off the Statue of Liberty? "The function of law enforcement is the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals.
Manifestly, that function does not include the manufacturing of crime.
" Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren wrote that 60 years ago in a case that came out of this very courtroom, decided by a jury sitting in the same seats you're sitting in today.
That man is not a criminal, and law enforcement prevented no crime here.
They manufactured a crime.
Instead of hunting actual terrorists, your government tried to make a terrorist.
They contacted him.
They befriended him.
They trained him.
They picked a target for him.
They built a bomb for him.
They made him.
This is Mohammed Fayed.
This is Mohammed Fayed.
And that is what they made.
It's easy to become distracted in a case like this.
To become emotional.
To focus on the wrong things.
But this case is about one thing and one thing only.
It is about the power of the United States government being used to systematically target and manipulate and incarcerate American citizens because of their religion, their ethnicity, their national origin, their color.
It is an awesome power.
But what you have today is even more powerful.
You have the power to say no.
You have the power to resist.
In this courthouse, in this courtroom, in those seats today, you have the awesome power of justice and there's nothing more powerful than that.
I understand that the parties have reached a deal.
Is that correct? Yes.
[ SIGHS .]
No, Your Honor.
Allison? I have firsthand knowledge that the AUSA handling the case filed the additional claims in the superseding indictment for the sole purpose of pressuring Ms.
Locarno into a deal - The AUSA handling the case? - which is an ethical violation.
That's me.
What are you doing? That was a personal conversation.
Oh, I thought it was business.
Mr.
Oliver.
Is this true? I'll keep it off the record if you dismiss the case against Ms.
Locarno.
I can't do that.
Then I'll expedite a ruling on the motion to dismiss.
The case is going away either way, young man.
[ GAVEL BANGS .]
[ CHUCKLES .]
A 64-month sentence? [ CHUCKLES .]
That's five years? He's a habitual, unrepentant con man.
He's ruined lives.
He's a flawed human being who's tricked money out of businesses.
Prison isn't the answer for everything.
Have some compassion.
I have compassion for people who follow the rules.
Did you ever break a rule? In your whole life? For which you didn't pay the appropriate price? Has that ever happened? Did you ever get the benefit of compassion and generosity for mistakes that you made? Did mercy and kindness ever change your path? You could be a good lawyer.
If you tried.
You're just not trying.
CLERK: In the case of United States vs.
Mohammed Fayed, we the jury find the defendant, Mohammed Fayed, guilty of one count of attempted use of a weapon - of mass destruction.
- [ SPECTATORS MURMURING, GAVEL BANGING .]
Hand-Pulled Noodle House Number 3.
[ CHUCKLES SOFTLY .]
You're not celebrating.
Oh, I don't celebrate people going to jail.
[ CHUCKLES SOFTLY .]
You, uh Do you mind if I sit here? I'm on probation.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry but you know what? I'm not sorry.
At all.
Because I was just doing my job.
- I did what I had to do.
- Right.
And now I'm gonna do what I have to do.
I'm leaving.
You're not leaving.
I.
Am.
Leaving.
I'm leaving.
[ DOOR OPENS .]
JILL: I told you you were gonna lose.
- I told you.
- [ DOOR CLOSES .]
This isn't TV.
You don't get a Muslim-American kid off charged with trying to blow up the Statue of Liberty.
You're going up against the government, the culture, the media, everything, and everybody.
The question is, what do you do now? Because now I'm Salomon Torres.
May 25, 1951.
A promising 20-year-old rookie starts for the then New York Giants in center field.
He goes 0-5 in his first game.
0-3 in his second game.
0-4 in his third game.
He can't hit.
He cries in front of his manager.
His manager tells him to go home and come back and play tomorrow.
Next game, first inning, he hits a home run.
And then he doesn't stop.
Willie Mays.
The greatest baseball player of all time.
I do follow baseball.
Then you know, Sandra, the first game doesn't always tell you where you're gonna end up.
- What did I get? - What? You said, on the first day, "Get something.
" What did I get today? You got beat.
And now you got to get up.
[ DOOR OPENS, CLOSES .]
[ CHUCKLES SOFTLY .]
I wonder what it would be like To do that, unh, in real life I've dreamed since I was a child Born to be brave, born to be wild They said it couldn't be done But this is my destiny run I wanna find that recipe Keep focus, God's testing me, unh Remember when I was dirt-broke They acted like I was a big joke Where were they at the beginning? They all show up now that I'm winning They talk like I'm Superman But I still bleed, I'm just a man I still wanna be phenomenal Greatest of all time, next level, oh [ SIGHS .]
Where's Seth? I have no boyfriend today.
And Seth has no girlfriend.
Al I'm sorry.
All right.
Come on.
Come on.
I want to show you something.
You know, I've lived in New York half my life, and I've never walked across this bridge.
Well, I grew up in Sacramento and never went to the California State Railroad Museum.
So, I totally understand.
I want you to stay with me, Sandra.
Live with me in the apartment.
I know we said it was temporary until you found a place, but I want you to live there.
And don't say you can't afford it, because it's my parents and it's free, okay? The best of all time We have to do this together.
The best, unh I don't want to do it any other way.
The best of all time - Okay.
Stop.
- [ LAUGHS .]
The best, the best Ready? Turn around.
The best of all time There it is.
Right here.
See it? The Mother Court.
Are we worthy? The best of all time Yes, I think so.
- We are.
- We are worthy.
- We're so worthy.
- Who is worthier than us? - Aaron Burr? - Please.
The best of all time We are worthy.
The best, unh The best of all time The best, the best, unh This is what legends are made of
Uh a-ah, yeah, uh, uh, yeah Uh a-ah, yeah, uh, uh, yeah Uh a-ah, yeah, uh, uh, yeah All day, all day, every day, every day We was on that block until we made a way, we made a way Day to day, man, that's the only way, only way They gon' know my name until it fade away Way, way, way, fade away They gon' know my name until it Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah [ VOCALIZING .]
It's locked.
When the door opens, you can go in first.
- I know you were here first.
- Doesn't matter.
If it didn't matter, you wouldn't be here first.
Did it start? It starts at 8:00.
It's 8:00.
- It's 7:00.
Never regretted, the second I said it Ahh.
What is that? Breakfast taco.
Austin-style.
- Scrambled eggs, onions - You're not allowed to eat in here.
- Why not? - Because you're not allowed to eat in here.
There's a sign out front.
I didn't see a sign.
Ignorance is no excuse.
You're a prosecutor, aren't you? Why don't you eat that over there? Why? Because I'm a public defender, or because of the migas? Do I have to choose? Know, know, life on Earth is so unpredictable Okay-kay, hold up, let me say, yes, I fade away Fade away, fade away, fade away, fade away, fade away They gon' know my name until it fade away Why didn't you get me up this morning? I wanted to come down with you.
I got up at 4:30.
It would literally be impossible for me to thank you enough - for not getting me up.
- [ CHUCKLES .]
Where's your boyfriend? I have no boyfriend today.
And Seth has no girlfriend.
We're keeping this professional.
This life, yeah, it done ate away Hard times never stayed away But one thing I know day to day I'ma do somethin' 'fore I fade away Fade away, fade away, fade away [ BOTH CHUCKLE .]
They gon' know my name until it fade away Uh, hey.
She was here first.
Oh.
I didn't realize.
TINA: Assistant United States Attorneys to the right.
Federal Public Defenders to the left.
You can sit together if you like, but if I've learned anything after 27 years of doing this, it's that you don't like to sit together.
This is the swearing in for incoming AUSAs and FPDs.
Please check your ticket.
Make sure you're on the right flight.
My name is Tina Krissman.
I am the clerk of court, I am on the second floor of this building, and I am available every day from 7:50 a.
m.
to 4:40 p.
m.
to ignore your questions.
I smell onions.
I will find you.
Chief Judge Nicholas Byrne.
JUDGE BYRNE: There are two great courts in America the Supreme Court, and the one you're sitting in right now.
This is the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York the oldest, most prestigious, highest-profile trial court in America.
This is the court that heard claims over the sinking of the Titanic.
This is the court that heard the case against the Rosenbergs.
Aaron Burr was a lawyer in this court.
Are you worthy? You've probably heard that some people call this the "Mother Court.
" For as long as you work here, you will call it home.
The cases are hard, the stakes are high, the lawyers on the other side are better than you, and the judges are smarter than you.
Some of you won't succeed.
Some of you are not worthy.
But for those of you who are, your time here will be the highlight of your career.
ALL: "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Government of the United States, that I will maintain the respect due to the Courts of Justice and the Judicial Officers, and that I will demean myself as an attorney, proctor, advocate, and counselor of this Court uprightly, according to law, so help me God.
" Welcome to the Mother Court.
Good morning, everyone.
I'm Jill Carlan.
I'm the Federal Public Defender.
Inside these envelopes is your first case, and let me warn you You're not gonna win.
You're up against the United States government, and the government almost always wins because they have all the power.
Now, here's the good news.
You don't need to win.
You need a win.
Reduce the charge, get a piece of critical testimony thrown out, get your client released on bail get something.
If you can do that, you've won.
And I know you can do that.
Or you wouldn't be here.
My name is Roger Gunn.
I am your boss.
This is your first case.
I expect you to win.
[ SIGHS .]
I got a good one.
What'd you score? - Terrorism.
- Terrorism.
Sweet.
Nail it.
What's "duty"? The attorney on duty picks up the new cases that come in.
Do you need someone today? Yes, but you have to have some experience to be on duty, Sandra.
I have experience.
You have experience clerking on the Supreme Court, which is great experience for being a Justice on the Supreme Court.
Doesn't have anything to do with this job.
I'll put you on duty when you're ready.
I'm ready.
Okay.
You're on duty.
Great.
Thank you.
So, what do I do? Use your experience.
And if chewing was to show you how much I cared It's okay.
I like a challenge.
You're the only person I've ever met who goes out of her way to make an extremely hard job even harder.
Do you at least recognize how weird that is? [ CHUCKLES .]
I do.
See, I'm happy with my envelope.
- What did you get? - Ah, some trumped-up fraud charge.
I figure I could either read the lies from the AUSA or talk to my client.
- Mm.
- I trust my client.
You two know each other from law school? Yeah, first day.
Torts.
Front row.
Ah.
Too close for torts, but that's cool.
- Where you living in the city? - Upper East Side.
Ah.
Less cool all of a sudden.
It's her place.
I'm just squatting there.
Our promises broken Nemesis is our token Mm, mm, mm, mm You don't mess around.
I have a bail hearing.
Why would I be messing around? No, I-I just meant the Doesn't matter.
Uh, I heard you were a procedural guru.
- Can I ask you a question? - If you have to, but I don't want to be the help desk for every man in this office too lazy to look something up for himself.
Were you too lazy to look this up for yourself? I can look this up myself.
If it's about your terrorism case, you shouldn't waste your time.
Why not? Um, because I don't think that's gonna be your case for very much longer.
Why would I give you his case? Because a farm animal could win this case, and that case actually matters, and if it matters, you should give it to me.
When I was clerking on the Supreme Court, this kid was writing research memos for junior partners at a mid-tier law firm.
Is that true? Leonard doesn't think you're ready for this case.
Well, he's right.
Neither one of us is ready for a case like this, but I'm at least humble enough to recognize it, and I'll work that much harder because of it.
Never been a fan of humility.
- He took your case? - Stole it.
- Stole it? - That's what I'm saying.
And then he said I worked at a "mid-tier law firm.
" I did not work at a mid-tier law firm.
Okay.
That doesn't help.
Don't worry about the case, Seth.
Don't.
Do a good job on your new case, and you'll get recognized because you're good and decent, and you do things the right way, which is what matters in the long run, okay? - Okay? - [ CHUCKLES .]
Now, I have to go because I have my first appearance as an attorney in the Southern District of New York.
So do I.
Well, let's go kick some ass then.
[ ELEVATOR BELL DINGS .]
[ CLEARS THROAT .]
Ms.
Krissman.
I'm Sandra Bell from the FPD.
I'm on duty today.
So, uh, if any cases come in, I will be right here.
That's not a great place to be, because when cases come in, I e-mail them to you, which is what I did 15 minutes ago.
I don't have any service here.
Then you probably don't know that your hearing starts in eight minutes.
Courtroom 601.
Avoid the elevator.
Take the stairs.
And be grateful you called me Ms.
Krissman.
[ POLICE RADIO CHATTER .]
I'm Sandra Bell.
I'm your attorney.
Mohammed Fayed.
[ SIGHS .]
What's the charge? 18 USC 2332(A)(3).
You pick this up on duty? - Yes.
- Tough day to be on duty.
2332(A)(3) is attempted "Attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against any property that is owned, leased, or used by the United States or by any department or agency of the United States.
" I know.
What was my client allegedly attempting to destroy? Leonard Knox.
Sandra Bell.
CLERK: All rise! Your client tried to blow up the Statue of Liberty, Sandra Bell.
SETH: Your Honor, as alleged in the complaint, Madeline Locarno was an administrative assistant at Alaria Pharmaceuticals and illegally traded on inside information regarding a merger between Alaria and Biogene Excuse me, Your Honor, but the complaint actually does not allege that.
It alleges that Ms.
Locarno passed on information to her ex-husband, who executed the trades facts which we deny.
What was the value of the trades? $9,325.
54, Your Honor.
$9,000? This is what Roger Gunn is prioritizing in the U.
S.
Attorney's Office nowadays? I thought that was fun.
Fun? We have to get out of this.
So talk to Gunn.
Get off the case.
JAY: Your Honor, this is a minor fraud charge, and we're simply asking for reasonable bail so that my client, Adam Dyle, can continue to care for his twin brother, who is dying of cancer.
[ EXHALES SHARPLY .]
I find myself unexpectedly moved by defense counsel to indignation.
Adam Dyle's brother isn't dying of cancer, because he doesn't exist.
Nor really does Adam Dyle, which isn't that man's name.
His name is Matthew Ormond.
Or wait.
No, it's Baron Heinz Geinecke.
I'm sorry.
Did I say Baron Heinz Geinecke? I meant Abigail Konogo.
It really depends on what con he's running.
They're not hard to track down, if you do a little work.
Mr.
Dyle is charged with creating the absurdly named and entirely fake "United States Bureau of Organization" to issue fake governmental purchase orders, with which he swindled hundreds of thousands of dollars of very real money from small businesses all over the New York area.
It's enough to [ INHALES, EXHALES DEEPLY .]
Well, to make you sick.
Please advise the court if there any plea discussions.
We're already talking, Your Honor.
- [ GAVEL BANGS .]
- Talking? What are we talking about? I'm offering you 15 years as opposed to life.
See? Talking.
I haven't seen the discovery yet.
Once we get bogged down in discovery, it's hard to get a deal done.
It's hard for me to get a deal done when I don't know what's in the discovery.
Listen, you seem bright, and you got dealt a bad hand here, and I'm sorry about that.
I really am.
I feel bad for you, but don't make it worse.
Because here's the thing you need to understand about me I'm the guy who makes it worse.
I'm the guy you don't want to go up against.
I didn't stumble into this case.
I saw it, I wanted it, and I took it.
Now I'm offering you a way to get out of it.
If they're offering a deal like that in a case like this, there must be something wrong with the evidence.
Maybe.
But if you want to find out, you're gonna have to reject the offer, and if you reject the offer, you're going to trial.
And if you go to trial, you're going to lose.
A big loss in a big case.
I can give it to someone else.
No.
Do you follow baseball? - Uh - In 1993, the San Francisco Giants won a record 103 games, but they still had to win the final game of the season to make the playoffs.
They had two experienced 20-game winners on their staff, but the manager decided to start Salomon Torres, a 21-year-old rookie who'd only been pitching in the major leagues for a month.
You've never been to a game? A-A few times.
Huh.
Anyway, he got destroyed.
Gave up 3 runs, 5 hits, walked 5 in 3 innings.
The Giants lost, didn't make the playoffs for four more years, and Torres went on to a forgettable career.
He never lived that game down.
Is that how you want to start your career? Talk to your client about the deal.
[ BUZZER .]
I'm really disappointed.
In you.
Specifically.
Okay.
Well, thank you for being specific.
Did you not like the way I told the judge about your fake brother dying of fake cancer or Look, I was just following Bureau protocol.
And if we're ever confronted, we're supposed to protect our identity.
People have a lot of hostility about the work we do.
[ SIGHS .]
These purchase orders were for a technology upgrade.
Why didn't you tell the judge we're entitled to an upgrade? You really believe the Bureau of Organization exists? What do you mean? Of course it exists.
I work there.
[ SCOFFS .]
The offer is 15.
I'm not saying I can get to 10, but if I can.
Wait.
10 years in jail, right? Yes.
Jail.
Federal prison.
What are the others getting? Others? What others? Th-The team.
I'm not getting off the case.
Well, I'm not asking you to get off the case.
I'm just saying that I'm not getting off the case.
The $9,000 case? Yeah, the one against the woman who broke the law? That one? Yes.
Well, it's not a problem for me.
Great.
It could be a problem for you.
Why? Oh, right.
Right.
Because you think you're gonna beat me.
You heard what the judge said.
The lawyers on the other side are better than you.
He said that to both sides.
He was looking at your side more.
His head was turned towards you.
Mm.
We can do this, right? - We can do this.
- [ BOTH CHUCKLE .]
And I can do this.
[ DOOR OPENS, CLOSES .]
Al? - [ SIGHS .]
- I didn't hear you come home.
Are you okay? I'm gonna do this.
You know how we've always said that if one of us is about to do something really risky but she really believes in it, then the other will be there to support her no matter what? We've never said that.
Really? Okay, well, can you say it to me now, please? What are you going to do, Sandra? Sandra Bell.
Send over the discovery.
You know what that means.
It means you send over the discovery right now.
We are done talking.
He's not taking the deal.
I'm gonna save Mohammed Fayed.
You rejected a plea deal without talking to me.
You said talk to my client.
I talked to my client.
Well, you didn't talk to me, and that was a mistake, and you can't afford to make mistakes like that on a job like this.
You better find something in these boxes.
[ FOOTSTEPS DEPART .]
KATE: What did you want to talk about? Well, Kate, here's the problem.
For you.
My client, and let's keep it simple and call him "Adam Dyle," couldn't have committed the alleged fraud because as you probably have tabbed there in one of your binders fraud requires an intent to deceive, and Adam didn't intend to deceive anyone.
Because he actually believes all this is real.
Crazy? Possibly.
But the upshot is, no intent, no crime.
So let's work something out here.
Are you done? I had some other cool points to make, but, yeah, sure.
[ MOUSE CLICKS .]
Yeah, he's buying the whole thing.
[ CHUCKLES .]
Yeah, everything.
That's what I'm saying.
The Bureau.
The technology upgrade.
Yeah, I've gone full "Primal Fear" on him.
[ CHUCKLING .]
Yeah, this guy's a real tool.
Tab Four of my discovery guide request jailhouse recordings.
Did you still want to make one of your cool points? LEONARD: And now she's got the discovery.
You know what's in the discovery.
You know what I know? I know you wanted the case.
So make the case.
Or I could always give it back to him.
Uh, actually, sir, can we talk? It's about opposing counsel - on the insider-trading case.
- Uh-huh.
She's my girlfriend.
Does this story get even mildly interesting at some point? - Well, we live together.
- Apparently it doesn't.
I need to be reassigned.
'Cause of your boo? Her client can waive the conflict, if that's the problem.
- Is that the problem? - I just don't understand why we're prosecuting a case like this, against a secretary for a $9,000 trade? Well, that is a problem that you don't understand that.
So l-let me spell it out for you.
You're prosecuting the case 'cause I told you to.
And I told you to prosecute the case 'cause that secretary broke the law.
Every now and then, regular, everyday people need to be reminded that there's serious consequences to breaking the law.
Whatever the law.
Insider trading.
Taxes.
Stop signs.
People start doing whatever the hell they feel like, our whole system breaks down.
Cars crash, Markets crash.
People get hurt.
You understand that? I knew about the merger.
We all did.
Everyone in the company was talking about it.
I told my ex-husband, Eric, I might be losing my job.
Because I know sometimes, when these companies merge, we lose our jobs.
I have a daughter.
And your ex-husband traded on that information without your knowledge? I guess so.
I never knew anything about it.
I didn't get anything out of this.
Are you kidding me? Motion to dismiss.
It's good.
And I'm not just complimenting your, uh your girlfriend.
If she can convince the judge there was no benefit to Ms.
Locarno, then we lose the case.
By which I mean, you lose this case.
I don't have a response to this.
Okay, first, don't ever say something like that to your boss.
Second, you don't need to respond.
You need to make it irrelevant.
Raise the stakes.
Apply the pressure.
You want to win, don't you? A superseding indictment.
With three new charges that, together, could mean significant jail time.
It's good.
Clever.
Cruel.
Vintage Roger Gunn.
He's forcing you into a deal.
This is how they win.
[ PAPERS THUD .]
I was never gonna prosecute the additional charges.
Is this supposed to make me feel better about you? We needed to pressure you to make a deal.
This is business.
I did what I had to do.
No, you did what your political, diabolical boss told you to do because you're insecure about working at a mid-tier law firm.
Mm! It was not mid-tier! Why are you making this personal, Allison? It is personal! This is personal.
She's a person.
Her name is Madeline Locarno.
She's 44.
She has a child.
And she'll go to jail.
Why are you doing this? Because I believe in it.
Has that ever crossed your mind? That I might actually believe in what I'm doing? That I might actually believe that Madeline Locarno broke the law and that there's some virtue in enforcing the law? If you believed in what you're doing, you wouldn't be doing this.
That's what I believe.
[ FOOTSTEPS DEPART .]
Are you sleeping here? I'm sleeping here.
- That bad? - Worse.
"There is some virtue in enforcing the law.
" - Who says that? - A prosecutor.
He's a prosecutor.
He's a good person.
He used to be.
He cried during "La La Land.
" Not the mark of a good person.
How's it going here? I am two boxes away from getting fired.
Are you at your limit here, Sandy? Yes, I am.
I am at my limit.
But that's where I need to be right now because that is where he needs me to be.
Okay, well, let me tell you where I need to be.
I need to be drunk anywhere, so let's compromise.
We are working for two more hours, and then we're going to drink.
And I will complain mercilessly about Seth, and you will tell me to stop, and I'll say, "Yes, you're right.
Let's go play darts.
" Then we'll go play darts, and I'll be hitting the bull's-eye every time boom, boom, boom and you'll wonder how I got so good at darts, and I'll say it's because I'm imagining Seth's face on the dart board.
What? That "team" Fayed said he was working with to blow up the Statue of Liberty? They were undercover FBI agents.
This was a sting.
There was a team of three agents.
They had been working on him for 18 months.
Fayed was working was supposed to carry what he thought was a bomb into the crown of the Statue of Liberty in a camera, but he was mistakenly arrested by a National Park Service Ranger before he could get there.
What What is this? Extra paper.
Stuff it in your bag.
You should always carry a lot of paper.
They get worried you have something they don't know about.
You know what we're doing here, right? - No.
- Then watch.
JILL: It's bad for this office.
It's bad for the FBI.
ROGER: Oh, now, see, alarm bells go off for me when Jill Carlan is worried about what's good for the FBI.
You can't win on entrapment, Jill.
And we're not trying to.
This case is about attempt, and you can't prove attempt, because he was arrested before he got to the Statue of Liberty.
Attempt only requires the defendant to take a substantial step toward the commission of a crime.
He was on Liberty Island with a bomb.
Then why was the plan always to wait to arrest him until he got to the crown? Because that's what you thought you needed to prove attempt.
They're young.
They're hungry.
They're smart.
Let them fight it out.
Are we done here? No.
We're not done.
Oh, right.
Yankees tickets? Third-base line.
You're going to the game with him? We don't go together.
We meet there.
Sometimes we go together.
He's the enemy.
No, the Red Sox are the enemy.
He's the adversary.
So we came to pick up tickets? That's what we were doing here? You weren't watching.
They now think you're gonna argue attempt, and they're gonna direct a lot of resources in that direction, but that's a loser.
This is an entrapment case, so make sure you have one.
I'm going to trial.
You're going to trial, Sandra.
[ SIGHS .]
She was here first.
I owe you one.
Spicy lamb, cumin hand-pulled noodles.
I'll have that, too.
Is that the thing to get? No idea, but it's two blocks from the courthouse, and it's lamb.
You know you're part of an important tradition in my life.
I'm going to trial tomorrow, and my tradition is now to eat with you at Hand-Pulled Noodle House Number 3 every night before the first day of trial.
Can you commit to that? My dad took me to Frimple's Diner before every high-school swim meet.
I like a tradition.
Yes.
One more night till the day - Are you nervous? - Is it that spicy? The trial.
Are you nervous about the trial? No.
I'm not.
I'm gonna win.
That's what I'd be nervous about.
One more night till the day One more night till the day One more night till the day One more night till the day Please tell the jury what happened that morning.
Well, I saw this young man come off the ferry, carrying a camera.
He was sweating, jittery.
I asked to see his camera, and that's when I realized it was a bomb.
A fake bomb made by the FBI.
I didn't know that at the time.
Were you aware at the time that, in addition to making fake bombs, the FBI had been recruiting Mr.
Fayed for 18 months? - No, ma'am.
- That he has no history of violence? No history of terrorist affiliation? That the government has no evidence indicating he's ever had any interest in terrorism prior to his being recruited by this team of agents? No, ma'am.
You're not arguing attempt.
You're arguing entrapment.
Oh.
I didn't realize.
- She's relentless.
- Yes, I know.
It's a problem.
No, it's an answer.
She likes to fight.
I just need to give her something else to fight about.
Good.
Problem solved.
You work on the ferry taking visitors to Liberty Island, Mr.
Rocton? Yes, sir.
I collect tickets.
Do you recall seeing the defendant on the ferry the morning of his arrest? I remember him well, sir.
What the hell was the point of that? - [ CLEARS THROAT .]
- That.
You remember Mr.
Fayed well, sir? - Yes.
- Hmm.
Really? How long have you worked on that ferry? - 19 years.
- 19 years.
And how many ferries a day? 25, 26.
Thousands of ferries, tens of thousands of visitors, and you want the jury to believe that you remember my client? Not just remember him.
- Remember him well? - Yes.
Well, unless your memory has been jogged - by the government, Mr.
Rocton - Objection! how could you possibly remember my client at all?! Because I quit my job because of him! That's how! Because that ferry he was on was the last ferry I ever worked.
I was down there on 9/11, ma'am.
On the island.
Right next to her.
The idea that someone would want to blow her up now? I remember.
You never, ever ask a question you don't know the answer to.
- That was a mistake.
- The mistake was getting baited into a fight.
The mistake was asking any questions at all.
- This is war.
- It is.
It is war.
Which means you have to pick your battles, point your weapon in the right direction, and know your enemy.
And right now, your biggest enemy is you.
You want to fight everyone about everything and when you fight about everything, you end up fighting about nothing.
You want me to plead guilty? No, but I don't want you to go to jail for years, which is the risk if we reject the deal and go to trial.
How could you let this happen? [ ELEVATOR BELL DINGS .]
ADAM: He's buying the whole thing.
[ CHUCKLES .]
Yeah, everything.
That's what I'm saying.
The Bureau.
The technology upgrade.
Yeah, I've gone full "Primal Fear" on him.
[ CHUCKLING .]
Yeah, this guy's a real tool.
[ SIGHS .]
[ DOOR CLOSES .]
I have to take the deal, Sandy.
I've tried everything.
I'm sure there's another move.
The thing is, the deal is good.
Good for who? For her? Or for you? What does that mean? Six months in jail and a record as a convicted felon? That's not good for anyone, especially a working-class single mother.
Why are you lecturing me? Look, the only other move is highly risky and ethically questionable, and it destroys Seth.
I don't just beat him, I destroy him.
It's the nuclear option.
This is hard, okay? I know.
[ SIGHS .]
I'm sorry.
Wait.
That's it? You're just gonna let me off the hook that easy? No, I don't accept that.
This is where you say, "If it was anybody but Seth, I don't think you'd hesitate," or, "I like the nuclear option.
" [ SIGHS .]
What happened in trial today? Something happened in trial today.
[ INHALES DEEPLY .]
I messed up today, Al.
I messed up.
[ SIGHS DEEPLY .]
I believe in you, Sandra Bell.
We live in a dangerous time.
I don't need to tell you that.
Our enemies used to be overseas, and we could see them in tanks and airplanes.
They wore uniforms, and we fought them on battlefields.
But now we're living on the battlefield, and we can't see the enemy.
They look like us.
They talk like us.
They live down the hallway from us.
We only find out who they are and the damage they want to do after they've done it.
After they've shot up a nightclub.
Or blown up a marathon.
Or brought down a building.
Or two.
The only chance we have to fight these enemies is to find out who they are before they do these terrible things, and that's what these fine agents did here.
They found a dangerous man who was willing to commit an unspeakable crime, and they stopped him.
Ms.
Bell wants you to believe that our government did this.
Ask yourself how much money, how much time would it take to convince you to blow the head off the Statue of Liberty? "The function of law enforcement is the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals.
Manifestly, that function does not include the manufacturing of crime.
" Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren wrote that 60 years ago in a case that came out of this very courtroom, decided by a jury sitting in the same seats you're sitting in today.
That man is not a criminal, and law enforcement prevented no crime here.
They manufactured a crime.
Instead of hunting actual terrorists, your government tried to make a terrorist.
They contacted him.
They befriended him.
They trained him.
They picked a target for him.
They built a bomb for him.
They made him.
This is Mohammed Fayed.
This is Mohammed Fayed.
And that is what they made.
It's easy to become distracted in a case like this.
To become emotional.
To focus on the wrong things.
But this case is about one thing and one thing only.
It is about the power of the United States government being used to systematically target and manipulate and incarcerate American citizens because of their religion, their ethnicity, their national origin, their color.
It is an awesome power.
But what you have today is even more powerful.
You have the power to say no.
You have the power to resist.
In this courthouse, in this courtroom, in those seats today, you have the awesome power of justice and there's nothing more powerful than that.
I understand that the parties have reached a deal.
Is that correct? Yes.
[ SIGHS .]
No, Your Honor.
Allison? I have firsthand knowledge that the AUSA handling the case filed the additional claims in the superseding indictment for the sole purpose of pressuring Ms.
Locarno into a deal - The AUSA handling the case? - which is an ethical violation.
That's me.
What are you doing? That was a personal conversation.
Oh, I thought it was business.
Mr.
Oliver.
Is this true? I'll keep it off the record if you dismiss the case against Ms.
Locarno.
I can't do that.
Then I'll expedite a ruling on the motion to dismiss.
The case is going away either way, young man.
[ GAVEL BANGS .]
[ CHUCKLES .]
A 64-month sentence? [ CHUCKLES .]
That's five years? He's a habitual, unrepentant con man.
He's ruined lives.
He's a flawed human being who's tricked money out of businesses.
Prison isn't the answer for everything.
Have some compassion.
I have compassion for people who follow the rules.
Did you ever break a rule? In your whole life? For which you didn't pay the appropriate price? Has that ever happened? Did you ever get the benefit of compassion and generosity for mistakes that you made? Did mercy and kindness ever change your path? You could be a good lawyer.
If you tried.
You're just not trying.
CLERK: In the case of United States vs.
Mohammed Fayed, we the jury find the defendant, Mohammed Fayed, guilty of one count of attempted use of a weapon - of mass destruction.
- [ SPECTATORS MURMURING, GAVEL BANGING .]
Hand-Pulled Noodle House Number 3.
[ CHUCKLES SOFTLY .]
You're not celebrating.
Oh, I don't celebrate people going to jail.
[ CHUCKLES SOFTLY .]
You, uh Do you mind if I sit here? I'm on probation.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry but you know what? I'm not sorry.
At all.
Because I was just doing my job.
- I did what I had to do.
- Right.
And now I'm gonna do what I have to do.
I'm leaving.
You're not leaving.
I.
Am.
Leaving.
I'm leaving.
[ DOOR OPENS .]
JILL: I told you you were gonna lose.
- I told you.
- [ DOOR CLOSES .]
This isn't TV.
You don't get a Muslim-American kid off charged with trying to blow up the Statue of Liberty.
You're going up against the government, the culture, the media, everything, and everybody.
The question is, what do you do now? Because now I'm Salomon Torres.
May 25, 1951.
A promising 20-year-old rookie starts for the then New York Giants in center field.
He goes 0-5 in his first game.
0-3 in his second game.
0-4 in his third game.
He can't hit.
He cries in front of his manager.
His manager tells him to go home and come back and play tomorrow.
Next game, first inning, he hits a home run.
And then he doesn't stop.
Willie Mays.
The greatest baseball player of all time.
I do follow baseball.
Then you know, Sandra, the first game doesn't always tell you where you're gonna end up.
- What did I get? - What? You said, on the first day, "Get something.
" What did I get today? You got beat.
And now you got to get up.
[ DOOR OPENS, CLOSES .]
[ CHUCKLES SOFTLY .]
I wonder what it would be like To do that, unh, in real life I've dreamed since I was a child Born to be brave, born to be wild They said it couldn't be done But this is my destiny run I wanna find that recipe Keep focus, God's testing me, unh Remember when I was dirt-broke They acted like I was a big joke Where were they at the beginning? They all show up now that I'm winning They talk like I'm Superman But I still bleed, I'm just a man I still wanna be phenomenal Greatest of all time, next level, oh [ SIGHS .]
Where's Seth? I have no boyfriend today.
And Seth has no girlfriend.
Al I'm sorry.
All right.
Come on.
Come on.
I want to show you something.
You know, I've lived in New York half my life, and I've never walked across this bridge.
Well, I grew up in Sacramento and never went to the California State Railroad Museum.
So, I totally understand.
I want you to stay with me, Sandra.
Live with me in the apartment.
I know we said it was temporary until you found a place, but I want you to live there.
And don't say you can't afford it, because it's my parents and it's free, okay? The best of all time We have to do this together.
The best, unh I don't want to do it any other way.
The best of all time - Okay.
Stop.
- [ LAUGHS .]
The best, the best Ready? Turn around.
The best of all time There it is.
Right here.
See it? The Mother Court.
Are we worthy? The best of all time Yes, I think so.
- We are.
- We are worthy.
- We're so worthy.
- Who is worthier than us? - Aaron Burr? - Please.
The best of all time We are worthy.
The best, unh The best of all time The best, the best, unh This is what legends are made of