Law & Order (1990) s04e12 Episode Script
Snatched
In the criminal justice system the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
Two weeks.
Separate vacations and no questions asked.
My marriage would be perfect.
Whatever your wife does, you don't care? My wife would spend the whole time with her family.
I know her every move.
Yeah.
Like I knew my ex's every move.
Up ahead.
Buying or selling? They made us.
Wait, what do we got here? We got a 27-David, signal 10-10 Christopher and Hudson.
Suspicious black Mercedes Sam, Zebra, Union, 766.
Will investigate.
Hey! Don't shoot.
The money's in the back.
All right, crawl out.
Don't turn around.
Keep your arms raised.
Spread them.
What? What are you Who are you? Please! Don't turn around, I said.
I'm not a criminal.
He's clean.
Hey.
He's got the Lotto back here.
I'm in the real estate business.
I deal routinely in very large sums.
Yeah, right.
At 2:00 in the morning, out of the back seat of your car? I can prove that the money is mine.
I've done nothing illegal.
This is Mr.
Kattleman, Mr.
Bregman's attorney.
Oh, Marvin.
Thank God you're here.
They gonna let us talk? Gentlemen, may I have a moment with my client? It tops $4 mil, and they're still counting.
Yeah, but this is Sol Bregman, not Pablo Escobar.
Hey, so what? Let's toss it to Narcotics and go home.
I've advised Mr.
Bregman to fully explain why he was carrying that money.
My son, Jason, has been kidnapped.
I was trying to pay the ransom.
Did you actually talk to Jason? Last time they called, they played a tape of Jason's voice.
I could tell he was terrified.
I haven't heard fear in his voice since he was a child.
Where does Jason work? He has his own real estate business.
His office is in my building.
We'll need the names of all his employees.
There's just a secretary.
Look, I didn't ask for your help.
I can handle this myself.
We can't let you do that.
He's my only son.
I'm not gonna sit on my hands.
We understand that, but if you want to help him, you're gonna have to help us.
We'll also need a list of your employees especially anybody who quit or got fired.
What about his friends, the people he hung out with? I don't know many of his current friends.
My son has his own life.
Let it ring.
You got it? Don't answer that phone, Mr.
Bregman.
I was there with the money.
I was going to pay you.
I couldn't help it.
I did not call them in.
I did exactly as you told me.
Jason? Jason, are you all right? Listen to me.
I'll pay you anything you want.
Only, don't hurt him.
Hello? Hello? It's the damn tape again.
They know you're involved.
They said if they don't get the money in two days, they're going to kill Jason.
and you betrayed us.
I did not call them in.
I did exactly as you told me.
Dad, it's Jason.
I'm okay.
These people are serious.
Please follow their instructions, or it's over.
They're going to kill me, okay? I'll pay you anything you want.
So, a street-side pay phone, 42nd and Broadway, lots of traffic prints are a long shot.
They won't set up another ransom exchange by phone.
A note on Bregman's car, a FedEx, maybe a pizza man.
And don't count on Bregman telling us about it.
What about the gray van our men spotted? Well, from the year, make, and model, and a two-letter partial it narrows down to about 3,000 vehicles.
Well, Jason Bregman didn't get carried down a ladder from his nursery.
Whoever did it knew when and where to grab him.
This guy wasn't a hermit.
Checking out his lifestyle's gonna be a lot of manpower.
Johnson and Samuels will cover tenant grievances.
You start with the home front.
And careful.
Nothing can get him killed quicker than a headline.
I never had trouble with him.
What's going on? Oh, the old man doesn't hear from his kid for a few days, they call out the army.
Yeah.
We're here, and little Jason's probably snapping towels at beach bunnies.
Well, he's a lady's man, that's for sure.
Goes mostly for the bohemian type.
Bags of bones with long hair.
Looks like he was a budding David Merrick.
"Jason Bregman presents Blue.
" Never heard of it.
Picked the wrong color, I guess.
Is this him? Oh, he's game for anything.
Bobsledding, scuba diving.
Me? Give me a beer and a waterbed.
That's all the excitement I need.
He sure keeps a lot of art around here.
Yeah, he deals in it.
Takes after his father.
You know, I hear the old man has his name written in stone at the Guggenheim.
Looks like Jason might've been headed toward Times Square.
"Planet Fantasy, produced and directed by Jason Bregman.
" "Promotional reel for the Lisa Cole Gallery.
" Sounds more like Soho than 42nd Street.
Lisa's one of his girlfriends.
A real piece of art.
Jason and I go out, but we're not mutually exclusive.
So what's Jason done, besides not return my calls? Well, when was the last time you heard from him? Friday.
On Saturday we were going to his rave party, but he stood me up.
His party? He was throwing it? Jason's latest enterprise.
A warehouse, a band, and a couple of lowlifes to keep a lid on things.
I thought he was into the real estate business.
His old man gave him an office, but it didn't excite him like his other hobbies.
These lowlifes for the parties, did he hire them out of the want-ads? Jason had a need for sleaze, but he let his partner handle that end.
He's the one who sent you, right? Why would he do that? They had a beef about fire permits so now this creep thinks Jason owes him money.
This creep got a name? I don't know.
How about Guido? He had a lease on one of the warehouses.
I think Jason's father owned the place.
Until now, this kid had no worries.
Show up for work, don't show up.
He had it all.
Yeah, if you're willing to overlook the fact that his old man's money got him kidnapped.
Here you go.
Oh, no, I want those over here.
Give me the money.
I'll take my chances.
How about what goes with it? This kid couldn't pick up a paper without seeing Bregman Senior getting some kind of an award.
It's a tough act to follow.
Try following a drunk.
Sol Bregman's got two personal accounts.
Everything's current to this morning.
Would you believe a seven-figure balance? Hey, here's a withdrawal for $250,000 cash the day after his kid was grabbed.
What do you think? Down payment for the kidnappers? $250,000's a lot of walking-around money, even for you.
You work for the IRS now? Where'd the money go, Mr.
Bregman? I had to do something.
Tell us about it.
We've been known to empathize.
After I received the ransom demand I thought if I could contact the right people Who, the Mott Street crowd? In my business, you meet people.
I thought they could help.
And they hit you up for $250,000? That's what he said it would cost.
Who said? Jimmy Ameche.
He leases some of my buildings.
He's in business with my son.
These dance parties.
I would have given him anything.
Have a seat.
You have a cushion? I just had the laser thing done on my 'rhoids.
We'll get you some extra marshmallows for your hot cocoa.
Nice.
I hope this doesn't take all morning.
So do we.
So, you and Jason Bregman were partners? Yeah.
I had a building sitting empty, and Jason had a way of generating income.
We heard you two had a falling out.
So what? Partners don't have disagreements? Jason's a good kid, but he has his bad days.
Yeah.
Like the past four.
I wouldn't know.
"I wouldn't know"? Is that all Sol Bregman got for his $250,000? "I wouldn't know"? Okay.
So this is where I show you mine, and you show me yours.
We all know Jason's been missing since Friday.
We know.
The question is, what do you know that rates a six-figure fee? Sol Bregman called me.
He figured I could be helpful with this situation.
And what are you, an expert? I've got connections, and I was willing to use them.
Sure, for a price.
I had to put some money out on the street.
You know how this works.
Sure.
We're familiar with the mechanics of extortion.
I wouldn't do that to a friend.
Figure, what would that get me? Fellas, can I see you a minute? Sit tight.
Surveillance on Bregman's house called.
He took off in his car around 5:00 a.
m.
They followed him to his lawyer's building.
He went in the underground garage.
They still watching him? They thought they were.
He switched cars with his attorney, and he slipped them.
Logan.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
All right, hold him there.
They got Bregman over near the So we figured the car was maybe jacked or abandoned.
But this guy's just sitting in the front seat.
Not a very smart move, Mr.
Bregman.
I did what I had to do.
Doesn't this thing have a car phone? You could've called us, right? They took the phone and the keys.
I was stuck.
How'd they get in touch with you? Through my lawyer.
He received a call from them.
If you had told us where the pick-up was, we could've been ready for them.
I didn't know! They instructed me over the car phone.
They had me drive around then they made me come here.
Same as before, lie down on the front seat.
After a few minutes, I heard someone take the keys.
They opened the trunk, took the money.
How many were they? I didn't see.
I didn't look up.
I did what they told me.
Look, it's over.
It's done.
Over for who? I'm looking around, I don't see Jason.
It's not over for him.
This guy.
What, he thinks it's a business deal? You give them the money, you get the kid, like buying a building? Hey, if somebody grabbed my kid, I wouldn't care what anybody told me.
I'd hock everything I owned, do whatever it took to get her back.
And I know better.
Well, they were feeding him instructions over the car phone.
And they had to be someplace where they could watch him make sure he wasn't being followed.
Now, he said it was only a couple of minutes before they got the key, right? What do you say we try that bodega? Before him the last white guy I seen around here was Clinton.
And he had the Secret Service.
How many calls did he make? Not Clinton, the other guy.
I wasn't counting.
He'd make a call, and go sit in his van.
Then make another call.
What color was the van? That was white, too.
You're watching him make calls, and you don't know what he looks like? I was listening to Howard.
You listen with your eyes? Come on.
Tall, short, thin, fat? Average guy, about your height.
Sharp dresser.
Had on a yellow jacket.
Hey.
LUDs give us three calls from the deli to Bregman's car phone.
Unfortunately, Latents says no usable prints off the pay phone.
Can't catch a break here.
Well, maybe we just did.
Take a close look at that.
Two other calls, same time frame another number.
Updating the people holding Jason.
Pay phone in the South Bronx.
Bastards couldn't live in Gramercy Park? That thing still in service? Dial tone.
Lot of places around here to hide somebody.
Yeah.
Or bury him.
Jason outlived his usefulness the minute they got that ransom.
I'm gonna call the troops.
We'll start a canvass.
Hi.
A little late in the year to be working the garden, isn't it? It ain't too late for squash.
I'm Detective Mike Logan.
This morning, around 6:00, were you out here? I told you that was drug business.
My wife don't trust anyone.
Yeah? We're interested in anybody who was using that phone.
A white man, I think.
Had a brand new car.
He was there for almost two hours.
What kind of car? I don't know about cars.
It was new and big.
I can only give you the license number.
You took down the license? I'm on Neighborhood Watch.
I learned all the correct procedures in the Citizen Patrol course.
Now, this last number here is either a three or an eight.
You mind if I give her a hug? Looks like a shirt my ex-sister-in-law once sent me.
Yeah, smells like any one of your shirts.
Yes? We're looking for a Shepherd Watson.
I'm Shep Watson.
What is it? Mr.
Watson, I'm Det.
Logan and this is Det.
Briscoe.
You mind if we have a word with you inside? Sure.
Come in.
Excuse the mess.
I'm getting ready for a show.
What is it? Is there another robbery in this building? Do you own a '92 Chrysler with the license plate 2PR-508? Yeah.
It's in the garage.
Where was it yesterday morning around 6:00? We were in the South Bronx.
Scary.
We could have used you guys.
What was the attraction? I'm looking to do something big.
You know, terrestrial.
Like Christo.
The artist who covered the hills of California with umbrellas.
Yeah, didn't one of them fall and kill somebody? Well, I'm planning to do something a lot less lethal in the South Bronx.
So you're an artist.
Do you know a Jason Bregman? I've heard of him.
Of course, his father's very important in the art world.
Officers, I don't understand.
Did I run a stop sign yesterday? Were you wearing that? I hate winter colors.
Dumb.
Froze my butt off.
Well, how about we thaw it out down at the precinct? So I was in the South Bronx.
I used some phones.
I mean, I might've used that phone.
I don't know.
Is there some crime connected with this? Let's talk about 10th Avenue.
I told you, I wasn't anywhere near there.
You said yourself, I was in the South Bronx.
I mean, make some sense or give it up.
Yes, you're being ridiculous.
Shep was going to put on a show in the South Bronx.
You know, I dated an artist once.
The thing I remember is, before she did anything, she made sketches.
We were working with a concept.
Nothing on paper.
You mean, like, just spitballing? That's right.
Mike, why don't you take Ms.
Navarro over to the other room and see if you can find out what they were spitballing about yesterday.
That's enough.
Yeah, we want a lawyer.
No more talk.
I mean, we've tried to cooperate, but this has just gone too far.
They used the "L" word.
And he's gonna walk them right out the door.
They came up clean on priors.
They're not in the system, and no link to a rental van.
This is crazy.
We got Watson's car in the South Bronx and we got Watson's jacket in Chelsea.
Yeah, well, who was driving the car? Navarro? The old lady ID'd a white male.
Anything come up with the canvass? Apparently, you found the only cooperative witness.
They're still working their car at the impound.
These people gotta be involved.
Now, can you keep them happy until we can check the loft? Get a warrant.
This is art? Maybe I missed my calling.
A little much here for a weekender.
Well, well.
Aruba! Guess who's gonna miss the dinner flight.
What's that, the squash garden? That building, we saw it from the pay phone.
More buildings.
Same block.
Maybe Jason's current address.
Maybe we should get the dogs back.
Hey, Detective.
I think maybe we got something.
I heard tapping.
I listened.
I didn't hear nothing.
What tapping? In the toilet, up there on the first floor.
It tapped and then it stopped.
You want to check the plumbing? Plumbing starts in the basement.
So when does the guy with the metal fingernails jump out? Yeah, right.
Hey, guys want to work off some doughnuts here? "Docket number 935193.
"People versus Shepherd Watson and Helena Navarro.
"Charge is kidnapping in the first degree "grand larceny in the first degree and attempted murder in the second degree.
" A hat trick.
What's the plea? Your Honor, I am informed these defendants are to be represented by a Mr.
Hastings of Dade County, Florida.
I request a postponement until Mr.
Hastings arrives.
He should have taken the redeye.
Now, give me a plea.
We're not guilty of anything.
The accusation is ridiculous.
Si.
Not guilty.
Your Honor, People requests these defendants be held without bail.
I don't see the flight risk.
They received a ransom of over $4 million and when they were arrested, they had plane tickets out of the country.
Our intention is not to leave.
It's to stay and clear up this absurd mistake.
Fine.
Let me give you permanent residence.
The defendants will be held without bail at Rikers, pending trial.
I admire your pace, Miss Kincaid.
Fast arraignment, held without bail and all before my jet left Miami airspace.
The fact that your clients kidnapped a man, shot him, and left him for dead it inspired a quick reaction.
The fact that you're not rushing off to the grand jury tells me that while you may have inspiration, you don't have proof.
Their car was seen in the area Jason was found in.
They knew the building.
And you have alibis for everyone who's ever relieved themselves in that ruin? When Jason Bregman is off the critical list, I'm confident he'll identify your clients.
Meantime, they sit in jail.
"What's the rush," is that the idea? If you're unfamiliar with our procedures, we can supply you with a manual.
Manual's the same in Dade County.
It's nearly 12:00.
Why don't we dispose of this over a plate of sweet and sour? You know, you can't get good Chinese in Miami.
We can dispose of it right now, if your clients are willing to plead guilty.
What a shame.
I hate to eat alone.
The police have a tape of the ransom demand.
Can't they turn some dials and come up with a voice match on Watson? The tape's mostly Jason Bregman.
The other voice was deliberately distorted.
They don't think a match'll hold up.
It wouldn't be the first time that you give the grand jury a dog-and-pony show without the pony.
Adam, I know Sol Bregman is a friend of yours.
It has nothing to do with friendship.
Then don't push me on this.
I won't present until I get a positive ID.
The longer you wait, the better Hastings looks at a bail hearing.
Before you know it, his clients will be peddling artwork in Panama.
Hastings would be right at home there.
According to the Dade County DA he was the first lawyer called in to defend Noriega.
Drug lawyer with a private jet.
We could all live for a whole year on what he must be charging Watson and Navarro.
They kidnap your son and use your ransom to pay their lawyer.
I was at Sol Bregman's wedding.
Thirty years later, I was with him when his wife died.
I don't care if you have to juggle bowling balls, I want you to get an indictment.
Yes? Okay, thanks.
Jason Bregman's conscious.
He's able to talk.
Good.
I was handcuffed and blindfolded for six days.
I didn't really get a good look.
I'm not sure that I could identify them.
They grabbed you off the street? At night, outside my building.
Before I knew it, I was in the trunk of a car.
Could you recognize their voices? Maybe.
I only heard one voice.
There was little conversation.
I never knew if they were going to shoot me, or leave me there to starve to death.
I think my son has had enough for one day.
His doctor was opposed to this.
Doctor I'll wait with the interviews until you think he's well enough.
I want to postpone the lineup as long as possible.
Then you're not sure you have the right people? My main concern is with the grand jury.
Without corroborating evidence, your son's testimony may be worthless.
You expect Polaroids to be dropped into your lap? I want these people prosecuted.
Or the next time we'll meet will be in Adam Schiff's office.
Where we meet, sir, won't affect this case one way or the other.
Hastings is sharp.
It won't take him long to figure out we're stalling.
Yeah, well, those clients of his they couldn't have possibly spent $4 million in one weekend so if we find the money, we'll find the evidence.
Give me a half hour with a pick and shovel, and no one would find that money.
Right.
Until the neighborhood mutt digs up the yard.
What would Watson want with this? Six bolts of calico cloth? How about calico umbrellas for crackheads in the South Bronx? This warrant cover unopened mail? It does now.
You know, for a couple of starving artists these two weren't counting their calories.
Watson's credit card bill: Raoul's, Provence, Greenstreet's.
Well, the drinks were on the house.
Invitations to gallery openings, fashion shows, cocktail parties.
Tough life.
Even tougher when you're careless.
A past-due notice.
Sutphin Lock 'N' Store.
This guy with a blow-dry comes in two days ago, half hour before I knock off.
He look anything like this? Sure.
With a shave and reconstructive surgery.
My guy was young.
$1,000 suit and a tan to match.
Had to show him where the locker was.
And, of course, you asked him for some ID? Of course I didn't, long as he had a key.
There you go, A-43.
They say space is a precious commodity.
This guy with the Gucci tan, did you see him leave? Yeah.
Lugging three duffle bags.
Thanks.
Hey.
Here I was, worried sick about young Mr.
Bregman.
Turns out he's been playing grab-ass with the nurses for nearly a week.
We're under no obligation to make him available to you.
Well, when the prosecutor refuses the victim the opportunity to point a finger at the accused I have to ask myself why.
Mr.
Hastings is your fee hourly, or do you get a percentage of the ransom? So that's what's got your Sunday-school nose all bent out of shape.
It never occurred to me to ask my clients where the money came from.
We're more interested in where it went.
According to a LaGuardia flight plan, your jet left for Miami one hour after an unidentified man removed three duffle bags from a locker rented by your clients.
And now it's buried in my back yard at Coral Gables? Or in some off-shore bank.
You could save yourself the price of sun block by referring to Penal Law Section 48.
05, Sub-3.
"Property attained for attorney's fee in good faith is exempt from forfeiture.
" Well, with a court order, sir, we can force open your books.
The old co-conspirator threat.
Well, go ahead.
God knows it's been tried.
But if you're looking for busywork try this one on.
Order to show cause.
I want that lineup, Ben.
According to his nurses Jason Bregman eats in the cafeteria with his father.
If he can stand in line for a hamburger, he can certainly show up for a lineup.
Your Honor, Mr.
Bregman was unconscious for two whole days.
His recollections are still vague.
Which means they're not what you'd hoped for.
Your Honor, the defense has no statutory right to demand eyewitness identification.
They have the right of confrontation.
But only at trial, and no court has ever extended that right to include lineups.
Your Honor, my clients are already serving a sentence with no indictment no trial, and just the faintest shadow of evidence against them.
Mr.
Stone's doing an end-run around the Fifth Amendment.
Ben, I don't like defendants sitting in a cell while you hold back something that may get this dismissed.
Let's get on with it.
Motion granted.
Okay, I'm ready.
I'll do my best.
Bring them in.
No.
Sorry.
I told you, I never actually saw them.
Thank you.
Bring in the other five, please.
Mr.
Bregman please take your time with this one.
Number Four, step forward and read from the card, please.
"The Criminal Court of the City of New York is hereby established "as a single citywide court, as provided by sections-" Thank you.
Number Five, step forward and read from the card, please.
"The Criminal Court of the City of New York is hereby established "as a single citywide court, as provided by sections " I don't know.
They all sound alike.
Motion for a new bail hearing.
Numbers One and Five.
Better luck at the track, son.
God, $200,000 bail? Might as well drive them to the airport.
What do you expect? At any rate, I filed a motion for discovering.
Right.
And that should keep them in town at least a week, answering questions.
Unless they decide that a beach house in the Caribbean would be more comfortable.
What the hell was Judge Caffey thinking? I sent the photos of Watson and Navarro to the Miami Police.
Someone in their fraud division identified them as Robert Martin Sennett and Marlene Manzo.
Wanted for larceny in Florida.
And Sennett is wanted in Nevada on a two-year-old drug warrant.
They were never fingerprinted.
That's why they didn't show up on the system.
Pick them up on the warrants.
Feed the aliases into the hopper and we just might get something more out of this.
The gray van was rented by Marlene Manzo with a Florida driver's license.
The white van was rented by Robert Sennett with a Nevada license.
Different names, same faces.
They say everyone has a twin somewhere.
Still adds up to a molehill of circumstantial evidence.
I have buried people with less, and I'll bury them.
Suppose my clients told you there was a third party? Someone who planned this scheme? What kind of a deal would you make? Suppose they recited the Iliad? What are we talking about? You people never took a real look at Jason.
Was that a dictate from Adam Schiff? Jason Bregman planned his own kidnapping? The old man expected him to work for a living.
Jason felt it was unreasonable.
He came to us.
We didn't go to him.
He begged you to shoot him? The boy wanted realism.
A dramatic escape with a bullet in his shoulder.
He said he was fine when we left him.
We're ready to deal, Ben.
You expect me to believe this? Only if you listen to this.
These people are serious.
Please follow their instructions, or it's over.
They're going to kill me, okay? Wait.
Let's do it once more.
Dad, it's Jason.
I'm okay.
These people are serious.
Please follow their instructions, or it's over.
They're going to kill me, okay? Whatever lies in their stories about Jason, this can't be ignored.
Jason claims he was bound and gagged for six days.
He should have bruises, but the doctors who examined him found nothing.
Yeah, bleeding to death in a rathole was also part of his plan.
That might have been Navarro and Watson's plan.
Better a two-way split than three.
It's likely Jason was an accomplice up to the time the money was paid.
Now, it's almost impossible to prove attempted murder without Jason's cooperation.
So first I tell Sol Bregman that his son is a thief and then I ask him to get the kid to cooperate.
How would you work that, Counselor? I've listened to that tape.
If those bastards had it it proves that they're guilty.
Am I right? Yes.
But we're not sure of what.
Sol, my people think that Jason was involved.
That there was no kidnapping.
No.
Not Jason.
I won't hear that.
If I were you, I'd hire the best criminal attorney I could find.
It's outrageous.
My son was half-dead when they found him.
That's true.
And if Jason would cooperate- How can you do this? We've been friends for over 30 years.
You believe that scum over my son? Believe those lies? I don't know you, Adam.
I don't know you at all.
Wait.
Let's do it once more.
Dad, it's Jason.
I'm okay.
If you had a gun pointed at your head you'd recite Hamlet backwards.
They were ready to kill me.
I had to make absolutely sure my father understood that.
Mr.
Bregman, in all my years of prosecution, you are possibly the stupidest criminal I've ever met.
Let's go.
I don't have to listen to this.
Jason, sit down.
Ben I understand these lowlifes would say anything.
But that you'd put any stock in their rantings is incomprehensible.
Nick, you know as well as I do that a jury won't find that incomprehensible.
Young man with that tape, Watson and Navarro have an excellent defense for kidnapping and attempted murder.
This is absurd.
I never saw them until they shoved a gun in my face.
If you want to play it that way, go ahead.
But I can prosecute the three of you for grand larceny.
Anytime you want to take this further, Mr.
Stone, just give us a call.
It's been a week since we gave you Bregman.
I thought I made it clear, my clients were ready to discuss a plea.
I put nothing on the table, Mr.
Hastings.
And maybe Sol Bregman did? Sir, do you really want to get into that kind of trouble with me? My clients have gone out on a limb to cooperate with you.
By making claims no one can verify.
You have the tape.
That's a tape made under duress.
We need evidence of complicity before the kidnapping.
Search his apartment.
You'll find one of Mr.
Watson's paintings there.
He collects art.
It doesn't mean he knows the artists.
His interest wasn't as a collector.
We convinced an appraiser the piece was worth $100,000.
Jason hangs it in a storefront gallery he rented, and Gone.
You report it stolen and split the insurance check.
I hope you have the check stub.
Jason backed out.
He was afraid his old man would find out.
But he kept the painting.
A rider was added to Mr.
Bregman's policy last June for an oil painting on canvas.
a female nude signed by Shepherd Watson.
Reported stolen, August 26.
A claim was filed? Yes, but it smelled a little ripe.
An instinctive reaction for an insurance adjuster.
A loss less than two months after purchase.
Bells went off.
We were about to turn it over to the police.
What stopped you? We received a polite letter saying that the painting had been recovered.
Filing a false claim still rates as a crime.
We do a lot of business with Sol Bregman.
If he tells us that no fraud was intended, we take him at his word.
You talked to Sol Bregman? He wrote the letter.
I assure you, Adam until you sent me the tape, I had no idea what he was up to.
Spare me the crap.
The minute that you heard that Watson was involved with the kidnapping, you should have called me.
And say what? That my son's a failed criminal? I know he has a contribution to make if he would just connect with something.
Connect with what? This might be the last favor I ask, Adam.
Jason's the only one who got hurt.
I want you to drop the case.
I can't do that.
I'll withdraw the complaint.
It's too late.
Please, Adam, I've got to protect him.
You sat there.
You've done nothing, and you want me to fix it.
I'm afraid I might lose him for good.
You don't get your son to cooperate you can say goodbye to him for 20 years.
Squeeze the rock as hard as you want, Ben it won't make the blood flow any faster.
My client emphatically denies any involvement.
Please, Jason, stop the lying.
They're gonna put you in prison.
Young man, your own father doesn't believe you.
What do you think a jury will do? A jury doesn't have any personal stake in this.
For God's sake, Jason, I'm not trying to hurt you.
I'm sure Watson put you up to it.
Of course.
Because you don't think I'm capable.
We believe in your abilities, Jason.
You nearly took your father for $5 million.
And I would have, if he hadn't called the police.
Jason- That's why Watson turned on me.
Thanks to you, I ended up flat on my face with a bullet next to my heart.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Stone.
I can't listen to any more of this.
Jason Mr.
Teller, is your client willing to discuss a plea? Larceny in the second degree in exchange for your testimony? He blames his own father for ruining this harebrained scheme of his? I bet he blames him for all his failures.
What is all this rage against a father who loves him and dotes on him? It's a fairly common behavioral trait among children of highly successful parents.
They love the perks.
They hate the price.
Let's hope justice is blind.
Excuse me? He's the only witness I have.
And God willing, that jury won't see what a sniveling, conniving little weasel he is.
Well, if telling the truth is a way he can humiliate his father I think he'll be very motivated.
He should be quite persuasive.
Mr.
Watson insisted on counting the money.
That took almost half the night.
Of course, it was all there.
If there's one thing my father is, is pathetically honest.
So please tell us what happened after that.
We drove to Queens.
Mr.
Watson and Miss Navarro put the duffle bags in the locker and then we drove back to town to execute the rest of our plan.
And what was the rest of your plan? It's a clever twist, if my friends had just stuck to it.
We decided releasing me would raise suspicion.
An escape would be more convincing.
Shooting me was purely Mr.
Watson's idea.
Thank you.
Your witness.
Mr.
Bregman didn't you shatter your knee in a bobsledding accident four years ago? That's right.
Are you fond of showing off that scar and bragging about it? Some people have seen it.
So what? Your father sent you to Saint Barts to recuperate.
I can see what you're getting at, but I didn't plan to break my knee.
It was an accident.
It wasn't my fault.
I understand.
Get you to the real estate business.
You managed the warehouse at 631 Dwyer Street? It's one of my father's.
Actually, now it belongs to First Dominion Bank.
They foreclosed on it last year, didn't they? That's right, I remember.
A balloon payment went past due.
How was that payment missed? Secretary failed to inform me of the notice.
And where were you, Mr.
Bregman? I was in Palm Beach.
It wasn't my fault.
Is anything ever your fault, Jason? Your Honor.
Withdrawn.
In the first count of the indictment, grand larceny in the first degree for the defendant Helena Navarro, how does the jury find? Guilty.
In the second count of the indictment, attempted murder in the second degree for the defendant Helena Navarro, how does the jury find? Not guilty.
In the first count of the indictment, grand larceny in the first degree for the defendant Shepherd Watson, how does the jury find? Guilty.
In the second count of the indictment, attempted murder in the second degree for the defendant Shepherd Watson, how does the jury find? Not guilty.
The defendants are remanded into custody, pending sentencing on February 9th.
Mr.
Bregman, I'll deal with your sentence at that time.
I still don't see your client, Mr.
Teller.
I spoke to him yesterday, Your Honor.
He assured me he'd be here.
Your Honor, we've been here an hour and I request that you revoke Mr.
Bregman's bail and issue a warrant for his arrest.
I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation.
It appears that Mr.
Bregman has fled jurisdiction.
So it does.
Bail is forfeited.
Bench warrant ordered.
I have no idea where he is.
But you knew he wouldn't be there in court today.
Sol, have you lost your mind? I couldn't let him down.
Well, now you're gonna help us find him.
So you can put him in prison for three years? Please, Mr.
Bregman, don't do this.
You're hindering the prosecution of a felon.
My son counts on me, Mr.
Stone.
I'll always be there for him.
And when you're arrested and put on trial will he be there for you? Draw up a warrant on Bregman, Solomon for hindering prosecution.
These are their stories.
Two weeks.
Separate vacations and no questions asked.
My marriage would be perfect.
Whatever your wife does, you don't care? My wife would spend the whole time with her family.
I know her every move.
Yeah.
Like I knew my ex's every move.
Up ahead.
Buying or selling? They made us.
Wait, what do we got here? We got a 27-David, signal 10-10 Christopher and Hudson.
Suspicious black Mercedes Sam, Zebra, Union, 766.
Will investigate.
Hey! Don't shoot.
The money's in the back.
All right, crawl out.
Don't turn around.
Keep your arms raised.
Spread them.
What? What are you Who are you? Please! Don't turn around, I said.
I'm not a criminal.
He's clean.
Hey.
He's got the Lotto back here.
I'm in the real estate business.
I deal routinely in very large sums.
Yeah, right.
At 2:00 in the morning, out of the back seat of your car? I can prove that the money is mine.
I've done nothing illegal.
This is Mr.
Kattleman, Mr.
Bregman's attorney.
Oh, Marvin.
Thank God you're here.
They gonna let us talk? Gentlemen, may I have a moment with my client? It tops $4 mil, and they're still counting.
Yeah, but this is Sol Bregman, not Pablo Escobar.
Hey, so what? Let's toss it to Narcotics and go home.
I've advised Mr.
Bregman to fully explain why he was carrying that money.
My son, Jason, has been kidnapped.
I was trying to pay the ransom.
Did you actually talk to Jason? Last time they called, they played a tape of Jason's voice.
I could tell he was terrified.
I haven't heard fear in his voice since he was a child.
Where does Jason work? He has his own real estate business.
His office is in my building.
We'll need the names of all his employees.
There's just a secretary.
Look, I didn't ask for your help.
I can handle this myself.
We can't let you do that.
He's my only son.
I'm not gonna sit on my hands.
We understand that, but if you want to help him, you're gonna have to help us.
We'll also need a list of your employees especially anybody who quit or got fired.
What about his friends, the people he hung out with? I don't know many of his current friends.
My son has his own life.
Let it ring.
You got it? Don't answer that phone, Mr.
Bregman.
I was there with the money.
I was going to pay you.
I couldn't help it.
I did not call them in.
I did exactly as you told me.
Jason? Jason, are you all right? Listen to me.
I'll pay you anything you want.
Only, don't hurt him.
Hello? Hello? It's the damn tape again.
They know you're involved.
They said if they don't get the money in two days, they're going to kill Jason.
and you betrayed us.
I did not call them in.
I did exactly as you told me.
Dad, it's Jason.
I'm okay.
These people are serious.
Please follow their instructions, or it's over.
They're going to kill me, okay? I'll pay you anything you want.
So, a street-side pay phone, 42nd and Broadway, lots of traffic prints are a long shot.
They won't set up another ransom exchange by phone.
A note on Bregman's car, a FedEx, maybe a pizza man.
And don't count on Bregman telling us about it.
What about the gray van our men spotted? Well, from the year, make, and model, and a two-letter partial it narrows down to about 3,000 vehicles.
Well, Jason Bregman didn't get carried down a ladder from his nursery.
Whoever did it knew when and where to grab him.
This guy wasn't a hermit.
Checking out his lifestyle's gonna be a lot of manpower.
Johnson and Samuels will cover tenant grievances.
You start with the home front.
And careful.
Nothing can get him killed quicker than a headline.
I never had trouble with him.
What's going on? Oh, the old man doesn't hear from his kid for a few days, they call out the army.
Yeah.
We're here, and little Jason's probably snapping towels at beach bunnies.
Well, he's a lady's man, that's for sure.
Goes mostly for the bohemian type.
Bags of bones with long hair.
Looks like he was a budding David Merrick.
"Jason Bregman presents Blue.
" Never heard of it.
Picked the wrong color, I guess.
Is this him? Oh, he's game for anything.
Bobsledding, scuba diving.
Me? Give me a beer and a waterbed.
That's all the excitement I need.
He sure keeps a lot of art around here.
Yeah, he deals in it.
Takes after his father.
You know, I hear the old man has his name written in stone at the Guggenheim.
Looks like Jason might've been headed toward Times Square.
"Planet Fantasy, produced and directed by Jason Bregman.
" "Promotional reel for the Lisa Cole Gallery.
" Sounds more like Soho than 42nd Street.
Lisa's one of his girlfriends.
A real piece of art.
Jason and I go out, but we're not mutually exclusive.
So what's Jason done, besides not return my calls? Well, when was the last time you heard from him? Friday.
On Saturday we were going to his rave party, but he stood me up.
His party? He was throwing it? Jason's latest enterprise.
A warehouse, a band, and a couple of lowlifes to keep a lid on things.
I thought he was into the real estate business.
His old man gave him an office, but it didn't excite him like his other hobbies.
These lowlifes for the parties, did he hire them out of the want-ads? Jason had a need for sleaze, but he let his partner handle that end.
He's the one who sent you, right? Why would he do that? They had a beef about fire permits so now this creep thinks Jason owes him money.
This creep got a name? I don't know.
How about Guido? He had a lease on one of the warehouses.
I think Jason's father owned the place.
Until now, this kid had no worries.
Show up for work, don't show up.
He had it all.
Yeah, if you're willing to overlook the fact that his old man's money got him kidnapped.
Here you go.
Oh, no, I want those over here.
Give me the money.
I'll take my chances.
How about what goes with it? This kid couldn't pick up a paper without seeing Bregman Senior getting some kind of an award.
It's a tough act to follow.
Try following a drunk.
Sol Bregman's got two personal accounts.
Everything's current to this morning.
Would you believe a seven-figure balance? Hey, here's a withdrawal for $250,000 cash the day after his kid was grabbed.
What do you think? Down payment for the kidnappers? $250,000's a lot of walking-around money, even for you.
You work for the IRS now? Where'd the money go, Mr.
Bregman? I had to do something.
Tell us about it.
We've been known to empathize.
After I received the ransom demand I thought if I could contact the right people Who, the Mott Street crowd? In my business, you meet people.
I thought they could help.
And they hit you up for $250,000? That's what he said it would cost.
Who said? Jimmy Ameche.
He leases some of my buildings.
He's in business with my son.
These dance parties.
I would have given him anything.
Have a seat.
You have a cushion? I just had the laser thing done on my 'rhoids.
We'll get you some extra marshmallows for your hot cocoa.
Nice.
I hope this doesn't take all morning.
So do we.
So, you and Jason Bregman were partners? Yeah.
I had a building sitting empty, and Jason had a way of generating income.
We heard you two had a falling out.
So what? Partners don't have disagreements? Jason's a good kid, but he has his bad days.
Yeah.
Like the past four.
I wouldn't know.
"I wouldn't know"? Is that all Sol Bregman got for his $250,000? "I wouldn't know"? Okay.
So this is where I show you mine, and you show me yours.
We all know Jason's been missing since Friday.
We know.
The question is, what do you know that rates a six-figure fee? Sol Bregman called me.
He figured I could be helpful with this situation.
And what are you, an expert? I've got connections, and I was willing to use them.
Sure, for a price.
I had to put some money out on the street.
You know how this works.
Sure.
We're familiar with the mechanics of extortion.
I wouldn't do that to a friend.
Figure, what would that get me? Fellas, can I see you a minute? Sit tight.
Surveillance on Bregman's house called.
He took off in his car around 5:00 a.
m.
They followed him to his lawyer's building.
He went in the underground garage.
They still watching him? They thought they were.
He switched cars with his attorney, and he slipped them.
Logan.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
All right, hold him there.
They got Bregman over near the So we figured the car was maybe jacked or abandoned.
But this guy's just sitting in the front seat.
Not a very smart move, Mr.
Bregman.
I did what I had to do.
Doesn't this thing have a car phone? You could've called us, right? They took the phone and the keys.
I was stuck.
How'd they get in touch with you? Through my lawyer.
He received a call from them.
If you had told us where the pick-up was, we could've been ready for them.
I didn't know! They instructed me over the car phone.
They had me drive around then they made me come here.
Same as before, lie down on the front seat.
After a few minutes, I heard someone take the keys.
They opened the trunk, took the money.
How many were they? I didn't see.
I didn't look up.
I did what they told me.
Look, it's over.
It's done.
Over for who? I'm looking around, I don't see Jason.
It's not over for him.
This guy.
What, he thinks it's a business deal? You give them the money, you get the kid, like buying a building? Hey, if somebody grabbed my kid, I wouldn't care what anybody told me.
I'd hock everything I owned, do whatever it took to get her back.
And I know better.
Well, they were feeding him instructions over the car phone.
And they had to be someplace where they could watch him make sure he wasn't being followed.
Now, he said it was only a couple of minutes before they got the key, right? What do you say we try that bodega? Before him the last white guy I seen around here was Clinton.
And he had the Secret Service.
How many calls did he make? Not Clinton, the other guy.
I wasn't counting.
He'd make a call, and go sit in his van.
Then make another call.
What color was the van? That was white, too.
You're watching him make calls, and you don't know what he looks like? I was listening to Howard.
You listen with your eyes? Come on.
Tall, short, thin, fat? Average guy, about your height.
Sharp dresser.
Had on a yellow jacket.
Hey.
LUDs give us three calls from the deli to Bregman's car phone.
Unfortunately, Latents says no usable prints off the pay phone.
Can't catch a break here.
Well, maybe we just did.
Take a close look at that.
Two other calls, same time frame another number.
Updating the people holding Jason.
Pay phone in the South Bronx.
Bastards couldn't live in Gramercy Park? That thing still in service? Dial tone.
Lot of places around here to hide somebody.
Yeah.
Or bury him.
Jason outlived his usefulness the minute they got that ransom.
I'm gonna call the troops.
We'll start a canvass.
Hi.
A little late in the year to be working the garden, isn't it? It ain't too late for squash.
I'm Detective Mike Logan.
This morning, around 6:00, were you out here? I told you that was drug business.
My wife don't trust anyone.
Yeah? We're interested in anybody who was using that phone.
A white man, I think.
Had a brand new car.
He was there for almost two hours.
What kind of car? I don't know about cars.
It was new and big.
I can only give you the license number.
You took down the license? I'm on Neighborhood Watch.
I learned all the correct procedures in the Citizen Patrol course.
Now, this last number here is either a three or an eight.
You mind if I give her a hug? Looks like a shirt my ex-sister-in-law once sent me.
Yeah, smells like any one of your shirts.
Yes? We're looking for a Shepherd Watson.
I'm Shep Watson.
What is it? Mr.
Watson, I'm Det.
Logan and this is Det.
Briscoe.
You mind if we have a word with you inside? Sure.
Come in.
Excuse the mess.
I'm getting ready for a show.
What is it? Is there another robbery in this building? Do you own a '92 Chrysler with the license plate 2PR-508? Yeah.
It's in the garage.
Where was it yesterday morning around 6:00? We were in the South Bronx.
Scary.
We could have used you guys.
What was the attraction? I'm looking to do something big.
You know, terrestrial.
Like Christo.
The artist who covered the hills of California with umbrellas.
Yeah, didn't one of them fall and kill somebody? Well, I'm planning to do something a lot less lethal in the South Bronx.
So you're an artist.
Do you know a Jason Bregman? I've heard of him.
Of course, his father's very important in the art world.
Officers, I don't understand.
Did I run a stop sign yesterday? Were you wearing that? I hate winter colors.
Dumb.
Froze my butt off.
Well, how about we thaw it out down at the precinct? So I was in the South Bronx.
I used some phones.
I mean, I might've used that phone.
I don't know.
Is there some crime connected with this? Let's talk about 10th Avenue.
I told you, I wasn't anywhere near there.
You said yourself, I was in the South Bronx.
I mean, make some sense or give it up.
Yes, you're being ridiculous.
Shep was going to put on a show in the South Bronx.
You know, I dated an artist once.
The thing I remember is, before she did anything, she made sketches.
We were working with a concept.
Nothing on paper.
You mean, like, just spitballing? That's right.
Mike, why don't you take Ms.
Navarro over to the other room and see if you can find out what they were spitballing about yesterday.
That's enough.
Yeah, we want a lawyer.
No more talk.
I mean, we've tried to cooperate, but this has just gone too far.
They used the "L" word.
And he's gonna walk them right out the door.
They came up clean on priors.
They're not in the system, and no link to a rental van.
This is crazy.
We got Watson's car in the South Bronx and we got Watson's jacket in Chelsea.
Yeah, well, who was driving the car? Navarro? The old lady ID'd a white male.
Anything come up with the canvass? Apparently, you found the only cooperative witness.
They're still working their car at the impound.
These people gotta be involved.
Now, can you keep them happy until we can check the loft? Get a warrant.
This is art? Maybe I missed my calling.
A little much here for a weekender.
Well, well.
Aruba! Guess who's gonna miss the dinner flight.
What's that, the squash garden? That building, we saw it from the pay phone.
More buildings.
Same block.
Maybe Jason's current address.
Maybe we should get the dogs back.
Hey, Detective.
I think maybe we got something.
I heard tapping.
I listened.
I didn't hear nothing.
What tapping? In the toilet, up there on the first floor.
It tapped and then it stopped.
You want to check the plumbing? Plumbing starts in the basement.
So when does the guy with the metal fingernails jump out? Yeah, right.
Hey, guys want to work off some doughnuts here? "Docket number 935193.
"People versus Shepherd Watson and Helena Navarro.
"Charge is kidnapping in the first degree "grand larceny in the first degree and attempted murder in the second degree.
" A hat trick.
What's the plea? Your Honor, I am informed these defendants are to be represented by a Mr.
Hastings of Dade County, Florida.
I request a postponement until Mr.
Hastings arrives.
He should have taken the redeye.
Now, give me a plea.
We're not guilty of anything.
The accusation is ridiculous.
Si.
Not guilty.
Your Honor, People requests these defendants be held without bail.
I don't see the flight risk.
They received a ransom of over $4 million and when they were arrested, they had plane tickets out of the country.
Our intention is not to leave.
It's to stay and clear up this absurd mistake.
Fine.
Let me give you permanent residence.
The defendants will be held without bail at Rikers, pending trial.
I admire your pace, Miss Kincaid.
Fast arraignment, held without bail and all before my jet left Miami airspace.
The fact that your clients kidnapped a man, shot him, and left him for dead it inspired a quick reaction.
The fact that you're not rushing off to the grand jury tells me that while you may have inspiration, you don't have proof.
Their car was seen in the area Jason was found in.
They knew the building.
And you have alibis for everyone who's ever relieved themselves in that ruin? When Jason Bregman is off the critical list, I'm confident he'll identify your clients.
Meantime, they sit in jail.
"What's the rush," is that the idea? If you're unfamiliar with our procedures, we can supply you with a manual.
Manual's the same in Dade County.
It's nearly 12:00.
Why don't we dispose of this over a plate of sweet and sour? You know, you can't get good Chinese in Miami.
We can dispose of it right now, if your clients are willing to plead guilty.
What a shame.
I hate to eat alone.
The police have a tape of the ransom demand.
Can't they turn some dials and come up with a voice match on Watson? The tape's mostly Jason Bregman.
The other voice was deliberately distorted.
They don't think a match'll hold up.
It wouldn't be the first time that you give the grand jury a dog-and-pony show without the pony.
Adam, I know Sol Bregman is a friend of yours.
It has nothing to do with friendship.
Then don't push me on this.
I won't present until I get a positive ID.
The longer you wait, the better Hastings looks at a bail hearing.
Before you know it, his clients will be peddling artwork in Panama.
Hastings would be right at home there.
According to the Dade County DA he was the first lawyer called in to defend Noriega.
Drug lawyer with a private jet.
We could all live for a whole year on what he must be charging Watson and Navarro.
They kidnap your son and use your ransom to pay their lawyer.
I was at Sol Bregman's wedding.
Thirty years later, I was with him when his wife died.
I don't care if you have to juggle bowling balls, I want you to get an indictment.
Yes? Okay, thanks.
Jason Bregman's conscious.
He's able to talk.
Good.
I was handcuffed and blindfolded for six days.
I didn't really get a good look.
I'm not sure that I could identify them.
They grabbed you off the street? At night, outside my building.
Before I knew it, I was in the trunk of a car.
Could you recognize their voices? Maybe.
I only heard one voice.
There was little conversation.
I never knew if they were going to shoot me, or leave me there to starve to death.
I think my son has had enough for one day.
His doctor was opposed to this.
Doctor I'll wait with the interviews until you think he's well enough.
I want to postpone the lineup as long as possible.
Then you're not sure you have the right people? My main concern is with the grand jury.
Without corroborating evidence, your son's testimony may be worthless.
You expect Polaroids to be dropped into your lap? I want these people prosecuted.
Or the next time we'll meet will be in Adam Schiff's office.
Where we meet, sir, won't affect this case one way or the other.
Hastings is sharp.
It won't take him long to figure out we're stalling.
Yeah, well, those clients of his they couldn't have possibly spent $4 million in one weekend so if we find the money, we'll find the evidence.
Give me a half hour with a pick and shovel, and no one would find that money.
Right.
Until the neighborhood mutt digs up the yard.
What would Watson want with this? Six bolts of calico cloth? How about calico umbrellas for crackheads in the South Bronx? This warrant cover unopened mail? It does now.
You know, for a couple of starving artists these two weren't counting their calories.
Watson's credit card bill: Raoul's, Provence, Greenstreet's.
Well, the drinks were on the house.
Invitations to gallery openings, fashion shows, cocktail parties.
Tough life.
Even tougher when you're careless.
A past-due notice.
Sutphin Lock 'N' Store.
This guy with a blow-dry comes in two days ago, half hour before I knock off.
He look anything like this? Sure.
With a shave and reconstructive surgery.
My guy was young.
$1,000 suit and a tan to match.
Had to show him where the locker was.
And, of course, you asked him for some ID? Of course I didn't, long as he had a key.
There you go, A-43.
They say space is a precious commodity.
This guy with the Gucci tan, did you see him leave? Yeah.
Lugging three duffle bags.
Thanks.
Hey.
Here I was, worried sick about young Mr.
Bregman.
Turns out he's been playing grab-ass with the nurses for nearly a week.
We're under no obligation to make him available to you.
Well, when the prosecutor refuses the victim the opportunity to point a finger at the accused I have to ask myself why.
Mr.
Hastings is your fee hourly, or do you get a percentage of the ransom? So that's what's got your Sunday-school nose all bent out of shape.
It never occurred to me to ask my clients where the money came from.
We're more interested in where it went.
According to a LaGuardia flight plan, your jet left for Miami one hour after an unidentified man removed three duffle bags from a locker rented by your clients.
And now it's buried in my back yard at Coral Gables? Or in some off-shore bank.
You could save yourself the price of sun block by referring to Penal Law Section 48.
05, Sub-3.
"Property attained for attorney's fee in good faith is exempt from forfeiture.
" Well, with a court order, sir, we can force open your books.
The old co-conspirator threat.
Well, go ahead.
God knows it's been tried.
But if you're looking for busywork try this one on.
Order to show cause.
I want that lineup, Ben.
According to his nurses Jason Bregman eats in the cafeteria with his father.
If he can stand in line for a hamburger, he can certainly show up for a lineup.
Your Honor, Mr.
Bregman was unconscious for two whole days.
His recollections are still vague.
Which means they're not what you'd hoped for.
Your Honor, the defense has no statutory right to demand eyewitness identification.
They have the right of confrontation.
But only at trial, and no court has ever extended that right to include lineups.
Your Honor, my clients are already serving a sentence with no indictment no trial, and just the faintest shadow of evidence against them.
Mr.
Stone's doing an end-run around the Fifth Amendment.
Ben, I don't like defendants sitting in a cell while you hold back something that may get this dismissed.
Let's get on with it.
Motion granted.
Okay, I'm ready.
I'll do my best.
Bring them in.
No.
Sorry.
I told you, I never actually saw them.
Thank you.
Bring in the other five, please.
Mr.
Bregman please take your time with this one.
Number Four, step forward and read from the card, please.
"The Criminal Court of the City of New York is hereby established "as a single citywide court, as provided by sections-" Thank you.
Number Five, step forward and read from the card, please.
"The Criminal Court of the City of New York is hereby established "as a single citywide court, as provided by sections " I don't know.
They all sound alike.
Motion for a new bail hearing.
Numbers One and Five.
Better luck at the track, son.
God, $200,000 bail? Might as well drive them to the airport.
What do you expect? At any rate, I filed a motion for discovering.
Right.
And that should keep them in town at least a week, answering questions.
Unless they decide that a beach house in the Caribbean would be more comfortable.
What the hell was Judge Caffey thinking? I sent the photos of Watson and Navarro to the Miami Police.
Someone in their fraud division identified them as Robert Martin Sennett and Marlene Manzo.
Wanted for larceny in Florida.
And Sennett is wanted in Nevada on a two-year-old drug warrant.
They were never fingerprinted.
That's why they didn't show up on the system.
Pick them up on the warrants.
Feed the aliases into the hopper and we just might get something more out of this.
The gray van was rented by Marlene Manzo with a Florida driver's license.
The white van was rented by Robert Sennett with a Nevada license.
Different names, same faces.
They say everyone has a twin somewhere.
Still adds up to a molehill of circumstantial evidence.
I have buried people with less, and I'll bury them.
Suppose my clients told you there was a third party? Someone who planned this scheme? What kind of a deal would you make? Suppose they recited the Iliad? What are we talking about? You people never took a real look at Jason.
Was that a dictate from Adam Schiff? Jason Bregman planned his own kidnapping? The old man expected him to work for a living.
Jason felt it was unreasonable.
He came to us.
We didn't go to him.
He begged you to shoot him? The boy wanted realism.
A dramatic escape with a bullet in his shoulder.
He said he was fine when we left him.
We're ready to deal, Ben.
You expect me to believe this? Only if you listen to this.
These people are serious.
Please follow their instructions, or it's over.
They're going to kill me, okay? Wait.
Let's do it once more.
Dad, it's Jason.
I'm okay.
These people are serious.
Please follow their instructions, or it's over.
They're going to kill me, okay? Whatever lies in their stories about Jason, this can't be ignored.
Jason claims he was bound and gagged for six days.
He should have bruises, but the doctors who examined him found nothing.
Yeah, bleeding to death in a rathole was also part of his plan.
That might have been Navarro and Watson's plan.
Better a two-way split than three.
It's likely Jason was an accomplice up to the time the money was paid.
Now, it's almost impossible to prove attempted murder without Jason's cooperation.
So first I tell Sol Bregman that his son is a thief and then I ask him to get the kid to cooperate.
How would you work that, Counselor? I've listened to that tape.
If those bastards had it it proves that they're guilty.
Am I right? Yes.
But we're not sure of what.
Sol, my people think that Jason was involved.
That there was no kidnapping.
No.
Not Jason.
I won't hear that.
If I were you, I'd hire the best criminal attorney I could find.
It's outrageous.
My son was half-dead when they found him.
That's true.
And if Jason would cooperate- How can you do this? We've been friends for over 30 years.
You believe that scum over my son? Believe those lies? I don't know you, Adam.
I don't know you at all.
Wait.
Let's do it once more.
Dad, it's Jason.
I'm okay.
If you had a gun pointed at your head you'd recite Hamlet backwards.
They were ready to kill me.
I had to make absolutely sure my father understood that.
Mr.
Bregman, in all my years of prosecution, you are possibly the stupidest criminal I've ever met.
Let's go.
I don't have to listen to this.
Jason, sit down.
Ben I understand these lowlifes would say anything.
But that you'd put any stock in their rantings is incomprehensible.
Nick, you know as well as I do that a jury won't find that incomprehensible.
Young man with that tape, Watson and Navarro have an excellent defense for kidnapping and attempted murder.
This is absurd.
I never saw them until they shoved a gun in my face.
If you want to play it that way, go ahead.
But I can prosecute the three of you for grand larceny.
Anytime you want to take this further, Mr.
Stone, just give us a call.
It's been a week since we gave you Bregman.
I thought I made it clear, my clients were ready to discuss a plea.
I put nothing on the table, Mr.
Hastings.
And maybe Sol Bregman did? Sir, do you really want to get into that kind of trouble with me? My clients have gone out on a limb to cooperate with you.
By making claims no one can verify.
You have the tape.
That's a tape made under duress.
We need evidence of complicity before the kidnapping.
Search his apartment.
You'll find one of Mr.
Watson's paintings there.
He collects art.
It doesn't mean he knows the artists.
His interest wasn't as a collector.
We convinced an appraiser the piece was worth $100,000.
Jason hangs it in a storefront gallery he rented, and Gone.
You report it stolen and split the insurance check.
I hope you have the check stub.
Jason backed out.
He was afraid his old man would find out.
But he kept the painting.
A rider was added to Mr.
Bregman's policy last June for an oil painting on canvas.
a female nude signed by Shepherd Watson.
Reported stolen, August 26.
A claim was filed? Yes, but it smelled a little ripe.
An instinctive reaction for an insurance adjuster.
A loss less than two months after purchase.
Bells went off.
We were about to turn it over to the police.
What stopped you? We received a polite letter saying that the painting had been recovered.
Filing a false claim still rates as a crime.
We do a lot of business with Sol Bregman.
If he tells us that no fraud was intended, we take him at his word.
You talked to Sol Bregman? He wrote the letter.
I assure you, Adam until you sent me the tape, I had no idea what he was up to.
Spare me the crap.
The minute that you heard that Watson was involved with the kidnapping, you should have called me.
And say what? That my son's a failed criminal? I know he has a contribution to make if he would just connect with something.
Connect with what? This might be the last favor I ask, Adam.
Jason's the only one who got hurt.
I want you to drop the case.
I can't do that.
I'll withdraw the complaint.
It's too late.
Please, Adam, I've got to protect him.
You sat there.
You've done nothing, and you want me to fix it.
I'm afraid I might lose him for good.
You don't get your son to cooperate you can say goodbye to him for 20 years.
Squeeze the rock as hard as you want, Ben it won't make the blood flow any faster.
My client emphatically denies any involvement.
Please, Jason, stop the lying.
They're gonna put you in prison.
Young man, your own father doesn't believe you.
What do you think a jury will do? A jury doesn't have any personal stake in this.
For God's sake, Jason, I'm not trying to hurt you.
I'm sure Watson put you up to it.
Of course.
Because you don't think I'm capable.
We believe in your abilities, Jason.
You nearly took your father for $5 million.
And I would have, if he hadn't called the police.
Jason- That's why Watson turned on me.
Thanks to you, I ended up flat on my face with a bullet next to my heart.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Stone.
I can't listen to any more of this.
Jason Mr.
Teller, is your client willing to discuss a plea? Larceny in the second degree in exchange for your testimony? He blames his own father for ruining this harebrained scheme of his? I bet he blames him for all his failures.
What is all this rage against a father who loves him and dotes on him? It's a fairly common behavioral trait among children of highly successful parents.
They love the perks.
They hate the price.
Let's hope justice is blind.
Excuse me? He's the only witness I have.
And God willing, that jury won't see what a sniveling, conniving little weasel he is.
Well, if telling the truth is a way he can humiliate his father I think he'll be very motivated.
He should be quite persuasive.
Mr.
Watson insisted on counting the money.
That took almost half the night.
Of course, it was all there.
If there's one thing my father is, is pathetically honest.
So please tell us what happened after that.
We drove to Queens.
Mr.
Watson and Miss Navarro put the duffle bags in the locker and then we drove back to town to execute the rest of our plan.
And what was the rest of your plan? It's a clever twist, if my friends had just stuck to it.
We decided releasing me would raise suspicion.
An escape would be more convincing.
Shooting me was purely Mr.
Watson's idea.
Thank you.
Your witness.
Mr.
Bregman didn't you shatter your knee in a bobsledding accident four years ago? That's right.
Are you fond of showing off that scar and bragging about it? Some people have seen it.
So what? Your father sent you to Saint Barts to recuperate.
I can see what you're getting at, but I didn't plan to break my knee.
It was an accident.
It wasn't my fault.
I understand.
Get you to the real estate business.
You managed the warehouse at 631 Dwyer Street? It's one of my father's.
Actually, now it belongs to First Dominion Bank.
They foreclosed on it last year, didn't they? That's right, I remember.
A balloon payment went past due.
How was that payment missed? Secretary failed to inform me of the notice.
And where were you, Mr.
Bregman? I was in Palm Beach.
It wasn't my fault.
Is anything ever your fault, Jason? Your Honor.
Withdrawn.
In the first count of the indictment, grand larceny in the first degree for the defendant Helena Navarro, how does the jury find? Guilty.
In the second count of the indictment, attempted murder in the second degree for the defendant Helena Navarro, how does the jury find? Not guilty.
In the first count of the indictment, grand larceny in the first degree for the defendant Shepherd Watson, how does the jury find? Guilty.
In the second count of the indictment, attempted murder in the second degree for the defendant Shepherd Watson, how does the jury find? Not guilty.
The defendants are remanded into custody, pending sentencing on February 9th.
Mr.
Bregman, I'll deal with your sentence at that time.
I still don't see your client, Mr.
Teller.
I spoke to him yesterday, Your Honor.
He assured me he'd be here.
Your Honor, we've been here an hour and I request that you revoke Mr.
Bregman's bail and issue a warrant for his arrest.
I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation.
It appears that Mr.
Bregman has fled jurisdiction.
So it does.
Bail is forfeited.
Bench warrant ordered.
I have no idea where he is.
But you knew he wouldn't be there in court today.
Sol, have you lost your mind? I couldn't let him down.
Well, now you're gonna help us find him.
So you can put him in prison for three years? Please, Mr.
Bregman, don't do this.
You're hindering the prosecution of a felon.
My son counts on me, Mr.
Stone.
I'll always be there for him.
And when you're arrested and put on trial will he be there for you? Draw up a warrant on Bregman, Solomon for hindering prosecution.