Law & Order Special Victims Unit s15e06 Episode Script
October Surprise
In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
With only 12 days left until New York's mayoral election, the latest polls show state senator Alejandro Munoz still holding on to his lead.
The time has come to fix our broken schools.
The time has come to provide affordable housing for the hard-working people of the city.
The time has come! For far too long, we've been a tale of two cities, one rich and one poor.
- Amen, brother! - Amen! While the elite have never flown higher, the rest of us struggle to climb out of the gutter.
That's right.
Alex Munoz is the one candidate who can bring us all together, the one candidate who can turn that all around.
He will, at long last, be a voice for all people.
He will be the first hispanic mayor of New York City.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Absolutely.
You got it.
My husband never forgot where he came from.
He was born in the Bronx - Boss, I got to bounce.
- Do what you need to.
- And he fought to re-open this center because he believes in our community.
El viene del barrio.
Where's Eddie going? We got New York one in an hour.
- Personal business.
- Now? To understand the core values that are so important to him, I give you mi esposo, the father of my children, and the next mayor, Alejandro Munoz.
Thank you, Yelina.
Now, won't she be a great first lady of the city of New York? Don't touch me! Get away from me! I'll cut you! I swear to God.
Put it down.
Put it down! - No! No! No! - Put it down! - Get away from me! - I said put it down! Open up.
Police.
Get off of me! Oh! You're breaking my arm! - Step back, sir.
- It's okay, I'm on the job.
Easy.
I'm D.
O.
C! I'm on the job! All right.
Make it easy for everybody.
Step back.
Step back.
Ma'am! Ma'am! Drop 'em now.
Now! Look at what he did to me! He was trying to rape me.
What are you talking about? No, no, no, no.
Central, we need an ambulance.
Make that two.
Lindsay, the neighbors said they heard screaming and called 911.
Thank God the police got there so fast.
I don't know how much longer I could have held him off.
How did he get into your apartment? I let him in.
He said he just Wanted to talk.
So you know him? You were in a relationship? I was, um Trying to break it off.
But he said no one leaves him.
He said he has friends from prison who could hurt me.
There he is! Mi hermano from Jerome Avenue.
Still stylin'.
¿Que pasa, Rafael? Oh, yeah! You look great, Mr.
mayor.
Oh, no, not yet.
I'm going to need your vote.
- Uh-huh, you don't have to visit me for that.
I was doing a presser in front of city hall.
I figured we'd grab a coffee.
Well, I'm already on my fourth cup, but I'll get you something.
You have bustelo? Let me guess, Starbucks.
- Can you get him a coffee? - Sure.
I know you're busy, man.
Can I talk to you about something? Sure.
Anything, Alex.
It's about Eddie.
Eddie? Eddie Garcia from the projects.
He got into a stupid fight with a girl.
She says he tried to rape her.
Svu picked him up last night.
We got to take care of him.
Law & Order: SVU I'm sorry that I hurt her arm, but she was going to cut mt balls off.
So could we just knock this down to a discon? I mean, I was going over there to do the right thing, you know? Which was what? Try to talk some sense into her.
Yeah.
No, she she said that I got her pregnant and now I had to pay up, right? And you weren't buying that.
First place, I don't know how it could be mine, 'cause I'm I'm good with the timing thing.
And since marriage and, you know, I only screwed up one time, and we had my son.
Can I get out of here? I mean, I got to talk to his teacher this afternoon.
So you argued with her because you told her you weren't responsible? No, no, no, I was arguing with her because she said she wanted to have an abortion, and I don't believe in that.
I'm catholic.
If you weren't going to pay, why'd we find 2 grand in your pocket? Um I don't think I should I don't think I should say anything else.
Counselor.
I didn't see you come in.
I didn't want to make it a state occasion.
This, uh, this case seems a little below your radar, no? I have an interest.
Sidebar? Sure.
So Alex Munoz, the mayoral candidate, called you on this? He is an old friend.
We grew up together.
- Oh, with Eddie.
- Mm-hmm.
Los tres muscateros de Jerome Avenue.
The three musketeers of Jerome Avenue.
Alex had the heart.
I had the mouth, of course.
Eddie had the muscle to protect us when we got into trouble.
So you've stayed in touch after all these years? Mm, less and less.
They stayed in the Bronx.
Alex went to Fordham, started working as a community organizer.
You know, he almost single-handedly saved the neighborhood.
And meanwhile, Eddie bounced around.
He got a job at rikers.
Well, I got to say, I'm impressed that Alex Munoz has the time to watch out for a childhood friend.
Well Eddie's been volunteering for him.
He's been driving him around during the campaign.
So is Alex watching out for Eddie, or watching out for Alex? Both, I guess.
Eddie's no genius, but he's a good man.
Since his wife flaked off three years ago, he's been taking care of his mother and raising his boy on his own.
And it doesn't excuse an attempted rape.
No one is saying that it should, liv.
But, I mean, what if that's not what it was? And there's benefit of the doubt.
I'd like to make sure Eddie gets it.
Barba's asking us to bend over backwards for his friend after we take down a corrupt precinct? - Look.
- That's great timing.
Eddie's a single dad.
I think Barba's just asking us to turn it over and take a good look before we go full-on.
And you said okay? I just saw you guys ten hours ago.
Is something wrong? No, Lindsay, it's standard for us to just follow up and see how you're doing.
You know, I don't know if the officers told you last night, but you don't need to preserve the crime scene.
It, um, always kind of looks like this.
Oh, well, I I didn't mean anything by it.
No worries.
You're sweet.
He is, right? Yeah, until you get to know him, sure.
Uh, would you mind putting out your cigarette? It's electronic.
It's just water vapor.
Anyway, didn't I answer your questions last night? Well, we're just trying to get a better picture of the relationship.
How long have you known Eddie? He came into my shoe store about six weeks ago.
I'm a foot model and a shoe designer.
I only do retail between gigs.
You know, these brands seem a little high-end for Eddie, no? Well, he came in with his wife.
And then he came back the next day on his own.
His wife? You sure it was his wife? Of course I'm sure.
What do you think the fight was about? I didn't want to be the girl on the side anymore.
Well, the thing is, Lindsay, Eddie told us the fight was about you being pregnant, that you attacked him.
That's crazy.
I'm not pregnant.
Oh.
Okay.
Any idea why he would think that? You know, if my cigarette bothers you, maybe I could just talk to him.
Absolutely.
Is there something you want to tell me? I thought it over.
I'm not sure I want to press charges now.
Lindsay, it's a little late for that.
Eddie's a good guy.
We both just got hot under the collar.
All right, so last night, he was trying to rape you, but today it's a misunderstanding? Has someone asked you not to talk? Why would you say that? Lindsay told you Eddie came into the store with his wife? No chance.
He hasn't seen her in three years.
She's partying in Miami Are you sure? - 'Cause he still wears his ring.
- I'm sure.
Eddie's eh, he's just catolico, loyal.
So Lindsay saw the ring, tried to make up a story.
Yeah, then she says that she'd be more comfortable just talking to Amaro.
Because she thinks she has a better chance of working the male partner? So she's lied to you, tried to manipulate you So did Eddie.
I know Eddie's story.
What's hers? What did Lindsay do now? You took out an order of protection against her.
How'd you two meet? She friended me on On Facebook after I started the charity.
She said she was interested in school issues.
And you believed that? I guess I was naive.
So you had an affair with Lindsay? I thought she was at the perfect intersection of hot and crazy.
What went wrong? I underestimated the crazy.
She started demanding money, and when I wouldn't come across with enough, she said she'd boil my bunny.
Come again? She stalked my kids outside their school, and then she sent e-mails about the affair to my wife and our board.
My marriage ended.
And I lost a big grant from the gates foundation.
Did Lindsay know about the grant? We put on a press release.
And that's when she started making demands.
I guess it was always about the money with Lindsay, wasn't it? You got something on Lindsay? So far, four men have filed orders of protection against her for harassment and extortion.
Plus two more O.
O.
P.
S.
One from her ex-mother-in-law, and the ether's from an ex-shrink who kept getting texts demanding that he come back and "murder her vagina," whatever that means.
Means she's a freak.
Okay, so she lied to us.
She's changed her story.
She's gone back and forth about pressing charges.
Maybe Barba's right Eddie deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Unless we're asking the wrong questions.
Here he goes.
Her other marks were worth the risk.
The head of a foundation, a wealthy shoe designer, sports tv exec.
Eddie works at rikers.
So maybe she's hitting bottom.
Or maybe Maybe Eddie's not who she was shaking down.
Good news, bad news, counselor.
Eddie wasn't in a relationship with Lindsay, and he wasn't trying to rape her.
Get to the bad part.
Well, we think she may have been in a relationship with Alex Munoz.
And when she tried to shake him down, Alex sent Eddie over to tune her up.
Interesting theory.
Counselor.
Is that all it is? Well, Lindsay's M.
O.
Is to get her hooks into powerful, married men.
Look, she's a heat-seeking missile, and Eddie has no heat.
Your friend Alex does.
If you knew Yelina, you'd know he'd never step out on her.
With all due respect, counselor, you may not be totally objective.
- Nick - Look, if Eddie was sent to assault her or scare her I understand what you're saying, and you're wrong.
But take the steps you would with any other investigation.
No one's interfering.
Lindsay? She left last night.
She moved out? More like ran out with four suitcases and a limo waiting outside.
Do you know where she went? No.
She was in a hurry.
I live underneath.
An hour back and forth in high heels, packing.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
These are all her shoes.
You need them? Size six.
Help yourselves.
My first job was in Louis market.
I lasted all of two days because I was talking to some girl.
You know how it is when you're young.
But it's markets like these that make this city great.
In fact, I met my wife at one of them.
Crowd: Aw! And that's the best reason, is you get Yelina as your first lady.
And she's not only prettier than me, she's smarter.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for your support, really.
Aqui por todos! Crowd: Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Alex Munoz, can we talk to you for a minute? It concerns Eduardo Garcia.
Crowd: Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! - Honey, is everything okay? - Oh, absolutely.
I'm just gonna talk to the fellas here about the police foundation event.
I'll see you by the van, okay? Crowd: Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Listen, guys, I'm tight on time.
I got a meeting over at the archdiocese.
We just have a few loose ends we need to tie up.
Yeah, we've been looking at Lindsay Anderson's background.
It doesn't quite add up, the story of how she got involved with Eddie.
Eddie's got a broken heart, and he's he's not the best judge of character.
She probably saw an easy mark.
Well, that fits her pattern, but all the other men she went after were rich, and Eddie, no offense, es un muerto de hambre.
I don't know what to tell you.
Mr.
Munoz, we haven't called the brass.
We want to handle this discretely.
Eddie's close to you, so we have to ask.
Is he covering for you? What? I'm a happily married man.
I never even met this woman.
You sure about that? On the grave of mi abuelita.
I've never seen her.
I've never spoken to her.
What does she say? Well, she left her apartment abruptly last night.
We're tracking her down.
That's the kind of person you're dealing with, a person who makes accusations and then disappears.
I guess that's good news for Eddie.
If you'll excuse me.
Senor Munoz! Senor Munoz! My man's slick.
He must be pretty sure we won't find her.
That's okay.
I just did.
Last night, I friended her on Facebook.
Tell me she "poked" you.
Well, she liked my photo.
There, the latest post from 40,000 feet.
"On my way to Israel to start my awesome new job.
" Political consultant to the labor party in Tel Aviv.
How does an unemployed shoe clerk wind up working for your client's political campaign in the middle east? It's a shoe model, I believe.
And may I ask how that's svu's concern? 'Cause this seems like an item for page six, you know? Not a matter for an elite detective unit.
Her name's come up in multiple investigations, namely for causing problems with powerful married men.
Is this something I should call the D.
A.
About? Because I'm handling his campaign as well, you know? Do you what you need to do.
It's not gonna look good, though, a spin doctor who can't control bad press about his own office.
All right, look.
Can we handle this quietly, Nick? It's a personal matter.
Lindsay was involved with you? With my right-hand man.
It's a disaster.
He has a wife, you know, two beautiful children.
We're going to need to talk to him.
I'm afraid that's impossible.
I just reassigned him to an overseas campaign.
Let me guess, in Tel Aviv.
He was having an affair with Lindsay, so you send them both off to Israel? It's what I call a win-win.
So the D.
A.
Heard that you guys paid a visit to Alex's media consultant? You want to tell me how that went? Hank Abraham just sent Lindsay off to Israel with his right-hand man.
Wait, does Alex know about this? Well, he should; The aide who flew off with Lindsay, he was working on Alex's campaign till yesterday.
I'm sorry.
He leaves the country right before the election? Either he thinks the race is in the bag, or Look, he's helping Munoz out by making sure that Lindsay can't talk to us.
Just hold on.
Did you ask Alex if he was involved with this woman? We did, and he gave a categorical denial.
What about Eddie? He's been ducking us ever since his release.
I can make a call.
Actually, I was going to suggest going the other way.
Have you thought about formally recusing yourself, counselor? Believe me, I would like nothing more.
But? The D.
A.
Has asked me to stay on it.
Oh, so he's hanging you out to dry.
He's asked me to stay on it.
Given the optics, he wants to be kept in the loop.
Oh, so you can keep Munoz in the loop? You're out of line, detective.
- Am I? - Guys, please.
We'd like to keep digging.
Go ahead.
But we're ten days away from an election.
If you're gonna take aim at the frontrunner, make sure you don't miss.
Aw, hey, there, buddy.
Is your dad home? Hey, go help abuela with the remote, all right? We tried calling.
We got a few more questions we need to ask you, Eddie.
Yeah, D.
A.
's dropping the charges, right? The assault charges, yeah.
But this is about witness tampering.
What are you talking about? We're talking about that 2 grand we found in your pocket.
Man, I told you.
It's for Lindsay's abortion.
The one you don't believe in? Because we think that Alex gave you that money to give to her to shut her up.
Look, mad respect, okay? My lawyer said I don't have to talk to you anymore.
Your lawyer? You mean Alex? I'm going to make dinner for my family.
ÿGuapo? I hope I'm not interrupting.
You? Nunca.
Oh, it's been too long.
You look so great.
You always tell me that.
I'm on my way to another rubber chicken dinner.
Well, then, they're very lucky.
All right.
Sientate, por favor.
What's up? You tell me.
Detectives came by an event today to talk to Alex.
Did Alex send you to find out more? No, he gave me some excuse.
He doesn't even know I'm here.
Right, then Let's not have this conversation.
Rafael, you're Alex's oldest friend.
Is this something that we need to worry about? Yelina, he I really can't talk to you about this.
My husband didn't marry a fool.
I mean, Alex is on the verge of doing something really great for all of us.
Papi, don't ruin his chances.
Look, if he's got nothing to hide, he's got nothing to worry about.
So it's like that? Hmm.
Just tell me one thing.
Is this in any way About us? All right, where's the fire? There's something that we need you to see.
Since Lindsay found her other chumps through social media, we figured she might have done the same with Munoz.
So I went online, and I set up a "I heart Alex Munoz for mayor" page.
He messaged me back within half an hour.
"When you talked about the pension system, I got so excited"? You set up a honey trap? - Mm-hmm.
- Scroll down.
- Okay.
So I asked him, "are you sure you can handle it?" He responded, "yes, but not here.
" - He wanted to meet? - Well, not exactly.
He asked her to switch to a less public site.
Okay.
Pleasurewithoutconscience.
Com.
A cheating site? Alex has an account? Well, no, not by name.
But his alter ego does.
"Enrique Trouble"? I think that's his porno name.
Come on, you This can't be real.
- Well, it's a nice avi.
- Moving on.
Okay, he asked for a picture first, so I sent him this selfie.
Thank you.
Any response? Not yet.
This could all be a hoax.
Yeah, but that's why I went ahead and asked him for a photo, okay? You've seen me.
Let me see you.
Don't hold your breath.
He's at a fundraiser with his wife and daughters right now ten days away from the election.
He can't waste time.
No, guys like this, they make the time.
We've got a reply.
Well, you said he was at an event.
Doesn't that look like a tuxedo shirt? There's no face.
I mean, it could be anyone.
Okay, well, wait.
How about this? Um, "is that all you got?" Oh, good lord.
Oh! Okay! That's the full Munoz right there.
- Oh, no! - And this guy wants to be the next mayor of New York.
My God, this is terrible.
Someone's setting me up.
That's why I wanted to give you a chance to get out in front of this.
You can't believe I sent these.
So someone else, uh, sent the pictures of your penis? I'm not even gonna I'm not even gonna dignify that with an answer.
Alejandro, por favor.
I'm speaking to you as a friend, not a prosecutor.
I I've been hacked.
Well, if that's the case, then we can get our technical people to look into it No, no, I'll put my team on it.
Rafael, how can you believe this? It's obviously wall street trying to keep me out of city hall.
Alex, you need to be honest with me and honest with yourself.
You came to me to ask for help on Eddie's behalf.
Because he's my friend And your friend.
You didn't ask our friend to go to Lindsay and hush her up about Enough.
I don't have time for this.
It looks bad.
To who? To you? Hmm? You get to judge me? You my priest? You gonna tell me how many hail Marys I need to say? Alex, I am going so way out on a limb for you.
I could lose my job simply for speaking to you.
Please tell me that there are no other women out there.
Yelina is the only one.
I'm sorry if that still hurts, Rafael.
Alex claims wall street is setting him up.
What, you told him we were looking at his account? I gave him a chance to get out in front of this.
So now not only is he tampering with witnesses, he has you covering it up for him.
Guys, please.
Did you find any evidence at all that Lindsay is shaking him down or that he's paying to hush her up? There's nothing so far on the public sites, - but we'll keep checking.
- Do that.
You know, counselor, hold up.
What? Look, her Facebook page is scrubbed clean.
We can get a warrant, have taru go through all his accounts.
They might find something.
A warrant for suspicion of sexting? That's not going to happen.
Speaking of texts, our D.
A.
Wants to be briefed.
This should be short, but not sweet.
You know, what you did, tipping off Munoz, you could be charged for obstruction yourself.
Go ahead, report me.
See where that gets you.
But it's not just about the sexting.
We sit on all this till after the election, it'll look like we were carrying the water for him too.
And if we take him out now based on innuendo, it'll look like a political hit.
Are we done? You driving me to the d.
A's office, detective? Thank you.
I am not cutting Munoz a break just because he's my friend.
No, I get that.
It's not about friendship.
It's about you.
You're afraid to go after Munoz, because while he stayed in the hood, in el barrio, and played man of the people, you went off to Harvard and pretended you were one of the gringuitos.
- I know where I come from.
- Yeah, so does Munoz, and he's playing you, mi socio, and making you feel like a sellout.
Thank you so much for the Bodega psychoanalysis, detective.
Compay.
No te equivoque conmigo.
Hey, you two okay? Guys like Barba, too smart for their own good.
I'm sure he said the same about you.
What, everyone thinks we should just let this go? Come on, Munoz sends out some selfies.
That's not a sex crime.
All I know is I don't want to see any more of them.
It's not just selfies, all right? This clown could be mayor.
He opened himself up to blackmail, right? Eddie had cash.
Where did he get it from, huh? This could just be the tip of the iceberg.
I think we saw more than just the tip.
Even if you're right, this is a political corruption case.
We'd have to hand it over to the feds anyway.
What are we going to hand over? The pics he sent to rollins? It looks like I'm not the only one.
Enrique Trouble's popping up on other sites.
It goes back over a year.
Look, I found ten so far.
That makes him a dog, not a criminal.
Except one of these women that he was sexting with just got an executive position at the New York gaming commission.
I wonder who could have pulled those strings.
Anna pretard.
She have any governmental background? - Doesn't seem like it.
- Hold up.
I've seen this girl on a screen before, and it wasn't on c-span.
I don't understand this.
I already have the position.
We have a few background questions.
Yeah, like your resume says you went to university of Michigan, but they don't have any record of you attending.
- They don't? - Mm-mm.
I should fix that.
I was more like auditing.
Really? What subjects? Dance and movement.
No acting? No.
I never studied any acting.
That's funny, Amber, because my partner here says you're a real natural in What is it, fin? This is my favorite.
Million dollar a night baby.
Okay, this is unfair.
It was a long time ago.
I didn't do any adult films after that.
Are you from vice? I didn't do anything illegal.
No, we want to know how you got your job here.
Did Enrique Trouble put in a call for you? So what if he did? It's Albany.
Believe me, there are people a lot less qualified than I am working here.
So, Alex, a.
k.
a.
Enrique Trouble, used his position to get a former porn star a patronage job in Albany? They started off just sending each other junk shots.
Then six months later, she started texting him about her kid and how she was having problems making ends meet.
And he helped her out? Well, not until she told him she got a call from a reporter wanting to collaborate on a book.
Then Alex started paying her off $500 a month, until he got into the mayor's race.
Then he came up with the state job.
Anything to show the money trail? Checks, wire deposits? Munoz is too smart for that.
He had a bag man deliver the cash every time.
And I know the bag man, don't I? Hey, Raffi.
What's good, hermano? How you find me here? I stopped by your place, saw your mom.
My mom looks good.
Yeah.
Yeah, she does, Eddie.
Bueno, we got to talk.
You know, they They fixed this park since we were kids, right? Yeah, they did.
I remember how you always used to look out for me here.
When that gang from p.
S.
109 would come after me for my lunch money You'd put your arm around me.
You'd walk me to school.
You said anybody that hurt me would have to deal with you.
You're my brother, Raffi.
I would never have learned English if it wasn't for you.
We're even, right? I know that.
You're loyal To a fault.
We're not talking about p.
S.
109 now, are we? How much trouble am I in, Raffi? Witness tampering Bribery.
Eddie, those are felonies.
I can't I can't roll on Alex.
You have got You have got to think about yourself now.
Jail's gonna go hard for an ex C.
O.
Raffi, Alex has always been good to me, okay? He said when he becomes mayor, he's going to get me a job at one p.
P.
Listen to me.
Eddie, Alex is looking out for himself now.
You've got your son and your mother to think about.
You're not gonna be any good to them upstate.
I can't hurt Alex.
You tell me what I should do.
You were always the smart one.
Two stops a week to deliver envelopes to Anna and Jenny.
And Lindsay? Oh, that was a one-time payment.
Alex said it was all legal and that we had to do it for the people of New York.
Good, Eddie.
Real good.
So both Anna and Jenny wound up on the state payroll.
Gaming, and she was state tourism.
Good luck getting them to testify.
We done here? Eddie? Look, Eddie, we gave you queen for a day.
But if you have anything else to say, now's the time.
Okay, look, my client's cooperated fully.
Okay, but like Mr.
Barba told you, if we find out you held something back, deal's off.
You can go to prison.
There was another lady.
I didn't I didn't handle her.
Why not? I don't know.
Maybe because she was from yonkers.
I I overheard Alex talking to his brother-in-law, Bobby, about making a run.
Do you know the woman's name? Jodie.
Jodie something.
Um, French name.
I think she was a schoolteacher.
Jodie Lanier.
Yeah? N.
Y.
P.
D.
We need a word.
If this is about the mall, - I paid for these bracelets.
- It's about Alex Munoz.
- I don't know who that is.
- No? Then why is he giving you money? Okay.
I know who he is, but I've never met him.
Not in person? How about on social media? I mean, you've exchanged messages.
I can't talk to you about this.
'Cause that's why he's paying you? Look, Jodie, you're not in any trouble here.
Then can I go? Soon.
But we need to take a look at your cell phone.
No way.
I have rights! Don't I? We can get a warrant, but we'll have to talk to your mom.
Please don't call my mom.
Captain, how are you? Good seeing you! Michael, how's the little one? Good seeing you.
We got the cover of the New York magazine.
Oh, good job.
Good job.
Hey, Joe.
Hey, pleasure seeing you again.
Right this way.
Rafael.
I thought you were allergic to these political shindigs.
We need to talk privately.
Now? Seriously? There's a room full of union leaders and CEOs waiting to hear how he's going to save the city.
And I've never been more serious.
- Well, I'll come with.
- You can stay right there.
Rafael, ÿtodo bien? Alex and I need to talk.
ÿAhora? Well, let's get a nice shot.
Mrs.
Slater, will you join us? Big smile for the camera, Yelina.
Big smile.
I won't be long.
- Shall we? - Yes.
Whatever you have to show me, Rafael, it won't alter anything, except our friendship.
Do you recognize these women? Stripper.
Porn star.
You helped them get on the state payroll.
My office helps a lot of people.
I guess it's trickier when they're too young to take the job, like Jodie Lanier.
She's a high school sophomore.
Let me stop you before you say that you've never met her.
We haven't.
She friended the campaign on Facebook and wanted to volunteer.
We've never even been in the same room.
You exchanged direct messages.
Which I've done with hundreds of other constituents.
She's not a constituent.
And she's 15, Alex! I had no way of knowing that.
Really, not after the pictures she sent you? The pictures that you asked for, by the way.
And these, these are the What? The pg ones.
Those other ones that she sent You solicited and exchanged naked photos with a 15-year-old girl.
This puts you in possession of child pornography.
Where did you get those? Eddie? Eddie? You used him as the bag man for everyone else, except for the 15-year-old, because you knew that would upset him.
You son of a bitch.
You're using Eddie to swift-boat me? You're taking advantage of him like this? I am? I had no idea what Eddie was up to.
Maybe he thought he was looking out for me.
Right, okay, so Here we are, Alejandro.
I have to turn these over to a special prosecutor immediately.
If you suspend the campaign, it might go easier for you.
They got my oldest friend to be the hatchet man.
How much are they paying you to take me down? There's no vendetta here Six days before the election? The people will know better.
I risked everything that I had to give you fair warning, Alex, and you know that.
Here's what I know, Rafael.
Ever since you got that Ivy league scholarship, you've been hooked on their teat.
You think you're one of them because you go on their ski vacations and their yachts? The man snaps his finger, and you jump up and bite for him.
It's not about me, and you damn well know it.
You know what Yelina thinks? She thinks that you've always been jealous of me, because you can't stand to see another cubano get ahead, because you think there's room for only one of us at the top.
And if I go down, that leaves you.
Let me tell you something.
You take me down, the people will hold it against you.
You won't be able to show your face in a barrio, and your political future will be over.
Are you threatening me, Alex? I'm looking out for you, Raffi.
Just like the old days.
- No comment! - New yorkers are smart.
They know the powers that be are terrified of me becoming mayor.
Is it true that you were sexting with a 15-year-old? We're not taking any questions at this time.
The wealthy on park Avenue with their nannies and cooks, the real-estate moguls, the white collar criminals on wall street, the powers that be that benefit from the status quo, they know that I'm gonna fight.
But I'm going to fight for the working people.
Yelina, are you standing by your man? We've come too far Too far to allow them to get away with this! What about the explicit photos you sent? I have been set up by powerful special interests who have used a corrupt N.
Y.
P.
D.
Detective, who's been the subject of two I.
A.
B.
Investigations, including prostitution, and my old friend, A.
D.
A.
Rafael Barba, who has proven that he is the lapdog of this city's aristocracy.
Anthony, do me a favor? Mute this, will you? - Sure.
- We're not going to allow them to derail our agenda You know, I'm not gonna apologize, but I have to give it to you, counselor.
He still thinks he has a shot.
AlexHe's a brawler.
I gave him a chance to go quietly.
But he wouldn't take it.
Well, I will.
Good night, you two.
Anthony.
Good night, Nick.
Don't count him out.
He's a winner.
When I was seven When I was seven, my mom said, "stick with Alex.
'He'll be mayor of New York someday.
" Wow.
She never said that about me.
You okay? It's politics.
No danger of a traffic jam on the high road.
Still he was your friend.
So was Yelina.
She thinks this was personal, not professional.
You had a job to do.
You did it.
That's all this was.
Was it? - Mr.
Barba, a word.
- Reverend.
Your office is destroying the reputation of a man who can turn this city around.
Reverend, I am not directly involved with this case, but trust me when I say that this was not an easy decision.
Alex Munoz is my oldest friend.
Never mind all that.
This city's poor have been ignored for the last 20 years.
This is a candidate who can actually save our schools, rebuild our neighborhoods, and you choose to sacrifice all of that because of a zipper problem? I'm sorry.
It's out of my hands now.
We're requesting that Mr.
Munoz be released on his own recognizance.
Your honor, the timing of this prosecution is politically motivated.
Mr.
Munoz is five days away from becoming the next mayor - of New York City.
- Save the speeches, Mr.
Kuby.
Bail is set at $10,000.
Moving on.
In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
With only 12 days left until New York's mayoral election, the latest polls show state senator Alejandro Munoz still holding on to his lead.
The time has come to fix our broken schools.
The time has come to provide affordable housing for the hard-working people of the city.
The time has come! For far too long, we've been a tale of two cities, one rich and one poor.
- Amen, brother! - Amen! While the elite have never flown higher, the rest of us struggle to climb out of the gutter.
That's right.
Alex Munoz is the one candidate who can bring us all together, the one candidate who can turn that all around.
He will, at long last, be a voice for all people.
He will be the first hispanic mayor of New York City.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Absolutely.
You got it.
My husband never forgot where he came from.
He was born in the Bronx - Boss, I got to bounce.
- Do what you need to.
- And he fought to re-open this center because he believes in our community.
El viene del barrio.
Where's Eddie going? We got New York one in an hour.
- Personal business.
- Now? To understand the core values that are so important to him, I give you mi esposo, the father of my children, and the next mayor, Alejandro Munoz.
Thank you, Yelina.
Now, won't she be a great first lady of the city of New York? Don't touch me! Get away from me! I'll cut you! I swear to God.
Put it down.
Put it down! - No! No! No! - Put it down! - Get away from me! - I said put it down! Open up.
Police.
Get off of me! Oh! You're breaking my arm! - Step back, sir.
- It's okay, I'm on the job.
Easy.
I'm D.
O.
C! I'm on the job! All right.
Make it easy for everybody.
Step back.
Step back.
Ma'am! Ma'am! Drop 'em now.
Now! Look at what he did to me! He was trying to rape me.
What are you talking about? No, no, no, no.
Central, we need an ambulance.
Make that two.
Lindsay, the neighbors said they heard screaming and called 911.
Thank God the police got there so fast.
I don't know how much longer I could have held him off.
How did he get into your apartment? I let him in.
He said he just Wanted to talk.
So you know him? You were in a relationship? I was, um Trying to break it off.
But he said no one leaves him.
He said he has friends from prison who could hurt me.
There he is! Mi hermano from Jerome Avenue.
Still stylin'.
¿Que pasa, Rafael? Oh, yeah! You look great, Mr.
mayor.
Oh, no, not yet.
I'm going to need your vote.
- Uh-huh, you don't have to visit me for that.
I was doing a presser in front of city hall.
I figured we'd grab a coffee.
Well, I'm already on my fourth cup, but I'll get you something.
You have bustelo? Let me guess, Starbucks.
- Can you get him a coffee? - Sure.
I know you're busy, man.
Can I talk to you about something? Sure.
Anything, Alex.
It's about Eddie.
Eddie? Eddie Garcia from the projects.
He got into a stupid fight with a girl.
She says he tried to rape her.
Svu picked him up last night.
We got to take care of him.
Law & Order: SVU I'm sorry that I hurt her arm, but she was going to cut mt balls off.
So could we just knock this down to a discon? I mean, I was going over there to do the right thing, you know? Which was what? Try to talk some sense into her.
Yeah.
No, she she said that I got her pregnant and now I had to pay up, right? And you weren't buying that.
First place, I don't know how it could be mine, 'cause I'm I'm good with the timing thing.
And since marriage and, you know, I only screwed up one time, and we had my son.
Can I get out of here? I mean, I got to talk to his teacher this afternoon.
So you argued with her because you told her you weren't responsible? No, no, no, I was arguing with her because she said she wanted to have an abortion, and I don't believe in that.
I'm catholic.
If you weren't going to pay, why'd we find 2 grand in your pocket? Um I don't think I should I don't think I should say anything else.
Counselor.
I didn't see you come in.
I didn't want to make it a state occasion.
This, uh, this case seems a little below your radar, no? I have an interest.
Sidebar? Sure.
So Alex Munoz, the mayoral candidate, called you on this? He is an old friend.
We grew up together.
- Oh, with Eddie.
- Mm-hmm.
Los tres muscateros de Jerome Avenue.
The three musketeers of Jerome Avenue.
Alex had the heart.
I had the mouth, of course.
Eddie had the muscle to protect us when we got into trouble.
So you've stayed in touch after all these years? Mm, less and less.
They stayed in the Bronx.
Alex went to Fordham, started working as a community organizer.
You know, he almost single-handedly saved the neighborhood.
And meanwhile, Eddie bounced around.
He got a job at rikers.
Well, I got to say, I'm impressed that Alex Munoz has the time to watch out for a childhood friend.
Well Eddie's been volunteering for him.
He's been driving him around during the campaign.
So is Alex watching out for Eddie, or watching out for Alex? Both, I guess.
Eddie's no genius, but he's a good man.
Since his wife flaked off three years ago, he's been taking care of his mother and raising his boy on his own.
And it doesn't excuse an attempted rape.
No one is saying that it should, liv.
But, I mean, what if that's not what it was? And there's benefit of the doubt.
I'd like to make sure Eddie gets it.
Barba's asking us to bend over backwards for his friend after we take down a corrupt precinct? - Look.
- That's great timing.
Eddie's a single dad.
I think Barba's just asking us to turn it over and take a good look before we go full-on.
And you said okay? I just saw you guys ten hours ago.
Is something wrong? No, Lindsay, it's standard for us to just follow up and see how you're doing.
You know, I don't know if the officers told you last night, but you don't need to preserve the crime scene.
It, um, always kind of looks like this.
Oh, well, I I didn't mean anything by it.
No worries.
You're sweet.
He is, right? Yeah, until you get to know him, sure.
Uh, would you mind putting out your cigarette? It's electronic.
It's just water vapor.
Anyway, didn't I answer your questions last night? Well, we're just trying to get a better picture of the relationship.
How long have you known Eddie? He came into my shoe store about six weeks ago.
I'm a foot model and a shoe designer.
I only do retail between gigs.
You know, these brands seem a little high-end for Eddie, no? Well, he came in with his wife.
And then he came back the next day on his own.
His wife? You sure it was his wife? Of course I'm sure.
What do you think the fight was about? I didn't want to be the girl on the side anymore.
Well, the thing is, Lindsay, Eddie told us the fight was about you being pregnant, that you attacked him.
That's crazy.
I'm not pregnant.
Oh.
Okay.
Any idea why he would think that? You know, if my cigarette bothers you, maybe I could just talk to him.
Absolutely.
Is there something you want to tell me? I thought it over.
I'm not sure I want to press charges now.
Lindsay, it's a little late for that.
Eddie's a good guy.
We both just got hot under the collar.
All right, so last night, he was trying to rape you, but today it's a misunderstanding? Has someone asked you not to talk? Why would you say that? Lindsay told you Eddie came into the store with his wife? No chance.
He hasn't seen her in three years.
She's partying in Miami Are you sure? - 'Cause he still wears his ring.
- I'm sure.
Eddie's eh, he's just catolico, loyal.
So Lindsay saw the ring, tried to make up a story.
Yeah, then she says that she'd be more comfortable just talking to Amaro.
Because she thinks she has a better chance of working the male partner? So she's lied to you, tried to manipulate you So did Eddie.
I know Eddie's story.
What's hers? What did Lindsay do now? You took out an order of protection against her.
How'd you two meet? She friended me on On Facebook after I started the charity.
She said she was interested in school issues.
And you believed that? I guess I was naive.
So you had an affair with Lindsay? I thought she was at the perfect intersection of hot and crazy.
What went wrong? I underestimated the crazy.
She started demanding money, and when I wouldn't come across with enough, she said she'd boil my bunny.
Come again? She stalked my kids outside their school, and then she sent e-mails about the affair to my wife and our board.
My marriage ended.
And I lost a big grant from the gates foundation.
Did Lindsay know about the grant? We put on a press release.
And that's when she started making demands.
I guess it was always about the money with Lindsay, wasn't it? You got something on Lindsay? So far, four men have filed orders of protection against her for harassment and extortion.
Plus two more O.
O.
P.
S.
One from her ex-mother-in-law, and the ether's from an ex-shrink who kept getting texts demanding that he come back and "murder her vagina," whatever that means.
Means she's a freak.
Okay, so she lied to us.
She's changed her story.
She's gone back and forth about pressing charges.
Maybe Barba's right Eddie deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Unless we're asking the wrong questions.
Here he goes.
Her other marks were worth the risk.
The head of a foundation, a wealthy shoe designer, sports tv exec.
Eddie works at rikers.
So maybe she's hitting bottom.
Or maybe Maybe Eddie's not who she was shaking down.
Good news, bad news, counselor.
Eddie wasn't in a relationship with Lindsay, and he wasn't trying to rape her.
Get to the bad part.
Well, we think she may have been in a relationship with Alex Munoz.
And when she tried to shake him down, Alex sent Eddie over to tune her up.
Interesting theory.
Counselor.
Is that all it is? Well, Lindsay's M.
O.
Is to get her hooks into powerful, married men.
Look, she's a heat-seeking missile, and Eddie has no heat.
Your friend Alex does.
If you knew Yelina, you'd know he'd never step out on her.
With all due respect, counselor, you may not be totally objective.
- Nick - Look, if Eddie was sent to assault her or scare her I understand what you're saying, and you're wrong.
But take the steps you would with any other investigation.
No one's interfering.
Lindsay? She left last night.
She moved out? More like ran out with four suitcases and a limo waiting outside.
Do you know where she went? No.
She was in a hurry.
I live underneath.
An hour back and forth in high heels, packing.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
These are all her shoes.
You need them? Size six.
Help yourselves.
My first job was in Louis market.
I lasted all of two days because I was talking to some girl.
You know how it is when you're young.
But it's markets like these that make this city great.
In fact, I met my wife at one of them.
Crowd: Aw! And that's the best reason, is you get Yelina as your first lady.
And she's not only prettier than me, she's smarter.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for your support, really.
Aqui por todos! Crowd: Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Alex Munoz, can we talk to you for a minute? It concerns Eduardo Garcia.
Crowd: Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! - Honey, is everything okay? - Oh, absolutely.
I'm just gonna talk to the fellas here about the police foundation event.
I'll see you by the van, okay? Crowd: Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Munoz! Listen, guys, I'm tight on time.
I got a meeting over at the archdiocese.
We just have a few loose ends we need to tie up.
Yeah, we've been looking at Lindsay Anderson's background.
It doesn't quite add up, the story of how she got involved with Eddie.
Eddie's got a broken heart, and he's he's not the best judge of character.
She probably saw an easy mark.
Well, that fits her pattern, but all the other men she went after were rich, and Eddie, no offense, es un muerto de hambre.
I don't know what to tell you.
Mr.
Munoz, we haven't called the brass.
We want to handle this discretely.
Eddie's close to you, so we have to ask.
Is he covering for you? What? I'm a happily married man.
I never even met this woman.
You sure about that? On the grave of mi abuelita.
I've never seen her.
I've never spoken to her.
What does she say? Well, she left her apartment abruptly last night.
We're tracking her down.
That's the kind of person you're dealing with, a person who makes accusations and then disappears.
I guess that's good news for Eddie.
If you'll excuse me.
Senor Munoz! Senor Munoz! My man's slick.
He must be pretty sure we won't find her.
That's okay.
I just did.
Last night, I friended her on Facebook.
Tell me she "poked" you.
Well, she liked my photo.
There, the latest post from 40,000 feet.
"On my way to Israel to start my awesome new job.
" Political consultant to the labor party in Tel Aviv.
How does an unemployed shoe clerk wind up working for your client's political campaign in the middle east? It's a shoe model, I believe.
And may I ask how that's svu's concern? 'Cause this seems like an item for page six, you know? Not a matter for an elite detective unit.
Her name's come up in multiple investigations, namely for causing problems with powerful married men.
Is this something I should call the D.
A.
About? Because I'm handling his campaign as well, you know? Do you what you need to do.
It's not gonna look good, though, a spin doctor who can't control bad press about his own office.
All right, look.
Can we handle this quietly, Nick? It's a personal matter.
Lindsay was involved with you? With my right-hand man.
It's a disaster.
He has a wife, you know, two beautiful children.
We're going to need to talk to him.
I'm afraid that's impossible.
I just reassigned him to an overseas campaign.
Let me guess, in Tel Aviv.
He was having an affair with Lindsay, so you send them both off to Israel? It's what I call a win-win.
So the D.
A.
Heard that you guys paid a visit to Alex's media consultant? You want to tell me how that went? Hank Abraham just sent Lindsay off to Israel with his right-hand man.
Wait, does Alex know about this? Well, he should; The aide who flew off with Lindsay, he was working on Alex's campaign till yesterday.
I'm sorry.
He leaves the country right before the election? Either he thinks the race is in the bag, or Look, he's helping Munoz out by making sure that Lindsay can't talk to us.
Just hold on.
Did you ask Alex if he was involved with this woman? We did, and he gave a categorical denial.
What about Eddie? He's been ducking us ever since his release.
I can make a call.
Actually, I was going to suggest going the other way.
Have you thought about formally recusing yourself, counselor? Believe me, I would like nothing more.
But? The D.
A.
Has asked me to stay on it.
Oh, so he's hanging you out to dry.
He's asked me to stay on it.
Given the optics, he wants to be kept in the loop.
Oh, so you can keep Munoz in the loop? You're out of line, detective.
- Am I? - Guys, please.
We'd like to keep digging.
Go ahead.
But we're ten days away from an election.
If you're gonna take aim at the frontrunner, make sure you don't miss.
Aw, hey, there, buddy.
Is your dad home? Hey, go help abuela with the remote, all right? We tried calling.
We got a few more questions we need to ask you, Eddie.
Yeah, D.
A.
's dropping the charges, right? The assault charges, yeah.
But this is about witness tampering.
What are you talking about? We're talking about that 2 grand we found in your pocket.
Man, I told you.
It's for Lindsay's abortion.
The one you don't believe in? Because we think that Alex gave you that money to give to her to shut her up.
Look, mad respect, okay? My lawyer said I don't have to talk to you anymore.
Your lawyer? You mean Alex? I'm going to make dinner for my family.
ÿGuapo? I hope I'm not interrupting.
You? Nunca.
Oh, it's been too long.
You look so great.
You always tell me that.
I'm on my way to another rubber chicken dinner.
Well, then, they're very lucky.
All right.
Sientate, por favor.
What's up? You tell me.
Detectives came by an event today to talk to Alex.
Did Alex send you to find out more? No, he gave me some excuse.
He doesn't even know I'm here.
Right, then Let's not have this conversation.
Rafael, you're Alex's oldest friend.
Is this something that we need to worry about? Yelina, he I really can't talk to you about this.
My husband didn't marry a fool.
I mean, Alex is on the verge of doing something really great for all of us.
Papi, don't ruin his chances.
Look, if he's got nothing to hide, he's got nothing to worry about.
So it's like that? Hmm.
Just tell me one thing.
Is this in any way About us? All right, where's the fire? There's something that we need you to see.
Since Lindsay found her other chumps through social media, we figured she might have done the same with Munoz.
So I went online, and I set up a "I heart Alex Munoz for mayor" page.
He messaged me back within half an hour.
"When you talked about the pension system, I got so excited"? You set up a honey trap? - Mm-hmm.
- Scroll down.
- Okay.
So I asked him, "are you sure you can handle it?" He responded, "yes, but not here.
" - He wanted to meet? - Well, not exactly.
He asked her to switch to a less public site.
Okay.
Pleasurewithoutconscience.
Com.
A cheating site? Alex has an account? Well, no, not by name.
But his alter ego does.
"Enrique Trouble"? I think that's his porno name.
Come on, you This can't be real.
- Well, it's a nice avi.
- Moving on.
Okay, he asked for a picture first, so I sent him this selfie.
Thank you.
Any response? Not yet.
This could all be a hoax.
Yeah, but that's why I went ahead and asked him for a photo, okay? You've seen me.
Let me see you.
Don't hold your breath.
He's at a fundraiser with his wife and daughters right now ten days away from the election.
He can't waste time.
No, guys like this, they make the time.
We've got a reply.
Well, you said he was at an event.
Doesn't that look like a tuxedo shirt? There's no face.
I mean, it could be anyone.
Okay, well, wait.
How about this? Um, "is that all you got?" Oh, good lord.
Oh! Okay! That's the full Munoz right there.
- Oh, no! - And this guy wants to be the next mayor of New York.
My God, this is terrible.
Someone's setting me up.
That's why I wanted to give you a chance to get out in front of this.
You can't believe I sent these.
So someone else, uh, sent the pictures of your penis? I'm not even gonna I'm not even gonna dignify that with an answer.
Alejandro, por favor.
I'm speaking to you as a friend, not a prosecutor.
I I've been hacked.
Well, if that's the case, then we can get our technical people to look into it No, no, I'll put my team on it.
Rafael, how can you believe this? It's obviously wall street trying to keep me out of city hall.
Alex, you need to be honest with me and honest with yourself.
You came to me to ask for help on Eddie's behalf.
Because he's my friend And your friend.
You didn't ask our friend to go to Lindsay and hush her up about Enough.
I don't have time for this.
It looks bad.
To who? To you? Hmm? You get to judge me? You my priest? You gonna tell me how many hail Marys I need to say? Alex, I am going so way out on a limb for you.
I could lose my job simply for speaking to you.
Please tell me that there are no other women out there.
Yelina is the only one.
I'm sorry if that still hurts, Rafael.
Alex claims wall street is setting him up.
What, you told him we were looking at his account? I gave him a chance to get out in front of this.
So now not only is he tampering with witnesses, he has you covering it up for him.
Guys, please.
Did you find any evidence at all that Lindsay is shaking him down or that he's paying to hush her up? There's nothing so far on the public sites, - but we'll keep checking.
- Do that.
You know, counselor, hold up.
What? Look, her Facebook page is scrubbed clean.
We can get a warrant, have taru go through all his accounts.
They might find something.
A warrant for suspicion of sexting? That's not going to happen.
Speaking of texts, our D.
A.
Wants to be briefed.
This should be short, but not sweet.
You know, what you did, tipping off Munoz, you could be charged for obstruction yourself.
Go ahead, report me.
See where that gets you.
But it's not just about the sexting.
We sit on all this till after the election, it'll look like we were carrying the water for him too.
And if we take him out now based on innuendo, it'll look like a political hit.
Are we done? You driving me to the d.
A's office, detective? Thank you.
I am not cutting Munoz a break just because he's my friend.
No, I get that.
It's not about friendship.
It's about you.
You're afraid to go after Munoz, because while he stayed in the hood, in el barrio, and played man of the people, you went off to Harvard and pretended you were one of the gringuitos.
- I know where I come from.
- Yeah, so does Munoz, and he's playing you, mi socio, and making you feel like a sellout.
Thank you so much for the Bodega psychoanalysis, detective.
Compay.
No te equivoque conmigo.
Hey, you two okay? Guys like Barba, too smart for their own good.
I'm sure he said the same about you.
What, everyone thinks we should just let this go? Come on, Munoz sends out some selfies.
That's not a sex crime.
All I know is I don't want to see any more of them.
It's not just selfies, all right? This clown could be mayor.
He opened himself up to blackmail, right? Eddie had cash.
Where did he get it from, huh? This could just be the tip of the iceberg.
I think we saw more than just the tip.
Even if you're right, this is a political corruption case.
We'd have to hand it over to the feds anyway.
What are we going to hand over? The pics he sent to rollins? It looks like I'm not the only one.
Enrique Trouble's popping up on other sites.
It goes back over a year.
Look, I found ten so far.
That makes him a dog, not a criminal.
Except one of these women that he was sexting with just got an executive position at the New York gaming commission.
I wonder who could have pulled those strings.
Anna pretard.
She have any governmental background? - Doesn't seem like it.
- Hold up.
I've seen this girl on a screen before, and it wasn't on c-span.
I don't understand this.
I already have the position.
We have a few background questions.
Yeah, like your resume says you went to university of Michigan, but they don't have any record of you attending.
- They don't? - Mm-mm.
I should fix that.
I was more like auditing.
Really? What subjects? Dance and movement.
No acting? No.
I never studied any acting.
That's funny, Amber, because my partner here says you're a real natural in What is it, fin? This is my favorite.
Million dollar a night baby.
Okay, this is unfair.
It was a long time ago.
I didn't do any adult films after that.
Are you from vice? I didn't do anything illegal.
No, we want to know how you got your job here.
Did Enrique Trouble put in a call for you? So what if he did? It's Albany.
Believe me, there are people a lot less qualified than I am working here.
So, Alex, a.
k.
a.
Enrique Trouble, used his position to get a former porn star a patronage job in Albany? They started off just sending each other junk shots.
Then six months later, she started texting him about her kid and how she was having problems making ends meet.
And he helped her out? Well, not until she told him she got a call from a reporter wanting to collaborate on a book.
Then Alex started paying her off $500 a month, until he got into the mayor's race.
Then he came up with the state job.
Anything to show the money trail? Checks, wire deposits? Munoz is too smart for that.
He had a bag man deliver the cash every time.
And I know the bag man, don't I? Hey, Raffi.
What's good, hermano? How you find me here? I stopped by your place, saw your mom.
My mom looks good.
Yeah.
Yeah, she does, Eddie.
Bueno, we got to talk.
You know, they They fixed this park since we were kids, right? Yeah, they did.
I remember how you always used to look out for me here.
When that gang from p.
S.
109 would come after me for my lunch money You'd put your arm around me.
You'd walk me to school.
You said anybody that hurt me would have to deal with you.
You're my brother, Raffi.
I would never have learned English if it wasn't for you.
We're even, right? I know that.
You're loyal To a fault.
We're not talking about p.
S.
109 now, are we? How much trouble am I in, Raffi? Witness tampering Bribery.
Eddie, those are felonies.
I can't I can't roll on Alex.
You have got You have got to think about yourself now.
Jail's gonna go hard for an ex C.
O.
Raffi, Alex has always been good to me, okay? He said when he becomes mayor, he's going to get me a job at one p.
P.
Listen to me.
Eddie, Alex is looking out for himself now.
You've got your son and your mother to think about.
You're not gonna be any good to them upstate.
I can't hurt Alex.
You tell me what I should do.
You were always the smart one.
Two stops a week to deliver envelopes to Anna and Jenny.
And Lindsay? Oh, that was a one-time payment.
Alex said it was all legal and that we had to do it for the people of New York.
Good, Eddie.
Real good.
So both Anna and Jenny wound up on the state payroll.
Gaming, and she was state tourism.
Good luck getting them to testify.
We done here? Eddie? Look, Eddie, we gave you queen for a day.
But if you have anything else to say, now's the time.
Okay, look, my client's cooperated fully.
Okay, but like Mr.
Barba told you, if we find out you held something back, deal's off.
You can go to prison.
There was another lady.
I didn't I didn't handle her.
Why not? I don't know.
Maybe because she was from yonkers.
I I overheard Alex talking to his brother-in-law, Bobby, about making a run.
Do you know the woman's name? Jodie.
Jodie something.
Um, French name.
I think she was a schoolteacher.
Jodie Lanier.
Yeah? N.
Y.
P.
D.
We need a word.
If this is about the mall, - I paid for these bracelets.
- It's about Alex Munoz.
- I don't know who that is.
- No? Then why is he giving you money? Okay.
I know who he is, but I've never met him.
Not in person? How about on social media? I mean, you've exchanged messages.
I can't talk to you about this.
'Cause that's why he's paying you? Look, Jodie, you're not in any trouble here.
Then can I go? Soon.
But we need to take a look at your cell phone.
No way.
I have rights! Don't I? We can get a warrant, but we'll have to talk to your mom.
Please don't call my mom.
Captain, how are you? Good seeing you! Michael, how's the little one? Good seeing you.
We got the cover of the New York magazine.
Oh, good job.
Good job.
Hey, Joe.
Hey, pleasure seeing you again.
Right this way.
Rafael.
I thought you were allergic to these political shindigs.
We need to talk privately.
Now? Seriously? There's a room full of union leaders and CEOs waiting to hear how he's going to save the city.
And I've never been more serious.
- Well, I'll come with.
- You can stay right there.
Rafael, ÿtodo bien? Alex and I need to talk.
ÿAhora? Well, let's get a nice shot.
Mrs.
Slater, will you join us? Big smile for the camera, Yelina.
Big smile.
I won't be long.
- Shall we? - Yes.
Whatever you have to show me, Rafael, it won't alter anything, except our friendship.
Do you recognize these women? Stripper.
Porn star.
You helped them get on the state payroll.
My office helps a lot of people.
I guess it's trickier when they're too young to take the job, like Jodie Lanier.
She's a high school sophomore.
Let me stop you before you say that you've never met her.
We haven't.
She friended the campaign on Facebook and wanted to volunteer.
We've never even been in the same room.
You exchanged direct messages.
Which I've done with hundreds of other constituents.
She's not a constituent.
And she's 15, Alex! I had no way of knowing that.
Really, not after the pictures she sent you? The pictures that you asked for, by the way.
And these, these are the What? The pg ones.
Those other ones that she sent You solicited and exchanged naked photos with a 15-year-old girl.
This puts you in possession of child pornography.
Where did you get those? Eddie? Eddie? You used him as the bag man for everyone else, except for the 15-year-old, because you knew that would upset him.
You son of a bitch.
You're using Eddie to swift-boat me? You're taking advantage of him like this? I am? I had no idea what Eddie was up to.
Maybe he thought he was looking out for me.
Right, okay, so Here we are, Alejandro.
I have to turn these over to a special prosecutor immediately.
If you suspend the campaign, it might go easier for you.
They got my oldest friend to be the hatchet man.
How much are they paying you to take me down? There's no vendetta here Six days before the election? The people will know better.
I risked everything that I had to give you fair warning, Alex, and you know that.
Here's what I know, Rafael.
Ever since you got that Ivy league scholarship, you've been hooked on their teat.
You think you're one of them because you go on their ski vacations and their yachts? The man snaps his finger, and you jump up and bite for him.
It's not about me, and you damn well know it.
You know what Yelina thinks? She thinks that you've always been jealous of me, because you can't stand to see another cubano get ahead, because you think there's room for only one of us at the top.
And if I go down, that leaves you.
Let me tell you something.
You take me down, the people will hold it against you.
You won't be able to show your face in a barrio, and your political future will be over.
Are you threatening me, Alex? I'm looking out for you, Raffi.
Just like the old days.
- No comment! - New yorkers are smart.
They know the powers that be are terrified of me becoming mayor.
Is it true that you were sexting with a 15-year-old? We're not taking any questions at this time.
The wealthy on park Avenue with their nannies and cooks, the real-estate moguls, the white collar criminals on wall street, the powers that be that benefit from the status quo, they know that I'm gonna fight.
But I'm going to fight for the working people.
Yelina, are you standing by your man? We've come too far Too far to allow them to get away with this! What about the explicit photos you sent? I have been set up by powerful special interests who have used a corrupt N.
Y.
P.
D.
Detective, who's been the subject of two I.
A.
B.
Investigations, including prostitution, and my old friend, A.
D.
A.
Rafael Barba, who has proven that he is the lapdog of this city's aristocracy.
Anthony, do me a favor? Mute this, will you? - Sure.
- We're not going to allow them to derail our agenda You know, I'm not gonna apologize, but I have to give it to you, counselor.
He still thinks he has a shot.
AlexHe's a brawler.
I gave him a chance to go quietly.
But he wouldn't take it.
Well, I will.
Good night, you two.
Anthony.
Good night, Nick.
Don't count him out.
He's a winner.
When I was seven When I was seven, my mom said, "stick with Alex.
'He'll be mayor of New York someday.
" Wow.
She never said that about me.
You okay? It's politics.
No danger of a traffic jam on the high road.
Still he was your friend.
So was Yelina.
She thinks this was personal, not professional.
You had a job to do.
You did it.
That's all this was.
Was it? - Mr.
Barba, a word.
- Reverend.
Your office is destroying the reputation of a man who can turn this city around.
Reverend, I am not directly involved with this case, but trust me when I say that this was not an easy decision.
Alex Munoz is my oldest friend.
Never mind all that.
This city's poor have been ignored for the last 20 years.
This is a candidate who can actually save our schools, rebuild our neighborhoods, and you choose to sacrifice all of that because of a zipper problem? I'm sorry.
It's out of my hands now.
We're requesting that Mr.
Munoz be released on his own recognizance.
Your honor, the timing of this prosecution is politically motivated.
Mr.
Munoz is five days away from becoming the next mayor - of New York City.
- Save the speeches, Mr.
Kuby.
Bail is set at $10,000.
Moving on.