Law & Order Special Victims Unit s26e12 Episode Script
Calculated
1
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.
Rough night.
It was the best.
I tried molly for the first time.
Does she go to Alton Academy?
Yeah, very funny.
But not a girl, idiot, the drug.
I've never done it.
Oh, I have.
- Honestly, it's pretty mid.
- Your lies are mid.
This guy's been full of crap
since he signed up for acting class.
- [SCOFFS]
- [PHONE BUZZES]
Yo, didn't we just see
you turn your phone in?
Yeah, douche.
I have a second one.
Yo
You remember that Mathlete chick?
From Ellsworth?
She sent me a picture of her boobs.
- Whoa, let me see.
- All right.
Easy, guys. Calm down.
Mr. Sanders.
- Uh
- Who's a douche now?
Hand it over.
[BELL RINGS]
Sanders, my office.
All right, who's up
next in the catch order?
- I am, Captain.
- All right, Silva, you're driving.
Where are we headed?
Some kid at Harrington Prep
got caught with an
underage nude on his phone,
so let's go.
We got two 16-year-olds
exchanging nudes.
- It's not exactly a major crime.
- Yeah.
And chances are,
all we're looking at
- is a de minimis violation.
- Well, you're right.
I mean, some cases are
too small to prosecute,
but, I don't think this is one of them.
You got a hunch?
Look, when you showed
up at a homicide scene,
at least you had the
benefit of a dead body, right?
- Uh-huh.
- SVU is a more subtle art.
Like I said on the phone,
whoever this girl is
sent the nude unsolicited.
So he didn't even know this girl?
- Says he met her once.
- [PHONE RINGS]
Excuse me.
This is Headmaster Hobbs.
Ah, okay.
Sorry.
All right, so what can
you tell us about this kid?
Eli's smart, from a good family.
I've never seen this app before.
It's new.
It's called Ghost Letter,
erases the messages every 12 hours.
I would have been all
over that in high school.
His mother just showed.
Well, let's talk to him.
I told you, that girl
just sent her nude to me.
You didn't do anything wrong, honey.
Well, your son got caught
with an underage nude on his phone.
This is ridiculous.
They're two teenagers.
Half the kids in the school
probably have underage
nudes on their phones.
Well, they didn't get caught.
Eli did.
Why don't you just
talk to this girl then,
tell her not to text my son anymore?
Don't worry, we will.
Eli, what I'm trying to understand,
what I'm trying to
wrap my head around,
is why a girl that you hardly know
would send you a photo like this,
just out of the blue?
I guess she just thought
I was cute at Math League.
Math League?
I didn't even want to
do it in the first place.
Looks good on a college application.
All right, well, we'll
speak with her, then.
What's the name of this girl?
Leah.
I think she goes to Ellsworth Academy.
Mm-hmm.
Can I have my phone back now?
Don't you mean phones?
- Phones?
- Don't worry.
You'll get them both back,
after we speak with Leah.
OK, Ellsworth's about a
10-minute walk from here.
I don't think we can
embarrass the girl at school.
I'll call them and have them
get her parents to pick her up.
And have Bruno meet you
there and take her statement.
Oh, where are you headed?
I am
Gonna have TARU see
if Eli is telling the truth.
And with any luck,
your de minimis case
will be solved by lunch.
A topless selfie of me
was sent to a stranger?
Wait, you didn't send it?
- No.
- Leah.
Mom, I'm telling the truth.
Why would she send that to
some boy she barely knows?
Leah, you obviously
took this photo yourself.
You must have sent it to someone.
When did you take it?
Two months ago.
This has been out
there for two months?
What were you thinking?
I guess I wasn't.
He asked for it.
Who's the he in that sentence?
Oliver Banks.
We go to the same school.
We don't really talk much in person,
but
He reached out on this
app, and we started texting.
But, after I sent that photo,
he disappeared off of
Ghost Letter entirely.
Ghost Letter?
You know it?
It's the same platform
used to send your photo
to the kid who got it this morning.
Is it possible Oliver shared it?
Benson said we'd be
done with this by lunch.
- So?
- She was wrong.
Yo, Oliver.
You know a girl named Leah Hayward?
I mean, she's in my grade.
Uh, why?
She said she sent you
this a couple months ago
on an app called Ghost Letter.
You know about that app?
Yeah, but I don't have an account.
Prove it.
See, there's no Ghost Letter.
I wish I could talk
to a girl like that,
but, there is no way that Leah Hayward
would ever be into a guy like me.
So Leah says that she
texted Oliver,
a kid in her class that
she had a crush on,
at Ellsworth Academy.
The only problem
is, Oliver was shocked
that Leah even knew he exists.
The kid never got the photo?
TARU confirmed.
No nude photo of Leah,
and no Ghost Letter
app on Oliver's phone.
So we know for a fact
that Oliver wasn't
involved in any of this.
So then who sent Leah's photo
to Eli at Harrington
Prep this morning?
- Maybe there's a simpler explanation.
- Like what?
Someone who had
access to Leah's phone
sent it without her knowledge.
TARU just got back.
They want us there ASAP.
Let's go.
[TENSE MUSIC]
We managed to get into the account
of the Ghost Letter
user who posed as Oliver
- a few months back.
- And?
Whoever this guy is, he's got
60 other Ghost Letter accounts,
all pretending to be
a different student in
the Manhattan area.
So all these kids are trading nudes?
With the same guy?
He appears to be using them
as bait to get other students
to send nudes back.
It's pretty organized,
if you ask me.
What the hell are we looking at?
We're looking at a factory.
We just need to find out who runs it.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Ava Noonan, 16,
junior at Whitman Hall.
TARU is working on
the rest of their identities.
And I'm working on
notifying the parents
of the kids caught up in this.
So how did he trick these kids
into thinking they
were texting somebody
that they already knew?
Well, it wouldn't
be hard for this perv
to scour their socials.
But why only rich kids?
Only from elite private schools.
All on the Upper East Side.
It's a pretty specific demographic.
So what else do they have in common?
Other than they're
all on Ghost Letter
and their rich parents
wouldn't hesitate to sue our ass?
Somebody knew enough
about each one of these kids
to impersonate them on Ghost Letter.
Find out who.
What do you mean you
haven't found who did this yet?
We're working on it, Mrs. Hayward.
So my daughter's
underage nude is still out there
for the entire world to see?
Mom, calm down.
This could compromise
you getting into college.
Your entire future
could be in question.
Mrs. Hayward
All you ever do is
talk about my future.
How about how I feel right now?
You should have thought about that
before you pressed
send on a nude of yourself!
We talked about this.
Your father and I warned you.
You've gone full psycho!
Leah, get back here!
Mrs. Hayward.
Let's take a deep breath.
We're going to figure this out.
That photo will
be out there forever.
And we're going to
try and prevent that.
Do you mind if I talk to her?
Better you than me.
♪
[KNOCKING]
[SIGHS]
What?
You know, we're just trying to help.
If you want to help so
bad, then you can make sure
those pictures of me
don't end up anywhere else.
I'm sorry, I can't do that.
Can I?
♪
I thought I was talking
to a boy that I liked.
Then a stranger saw my breasts.
I know, this is hard.
But if it makes you feel any better,
you weren't the only
one who got fooled.
How many other kids were
tricked into sending nudes?
A lot.
And they're all smart, just like you.
Can I show you a picture of someone?
Does he look familiar at all?
Um, yeah.
- He goes to Harrington Prep.
- Uh-huh.
I sat next to him at a
math competition last week.
Well, he's the one who
got your photo yesterday.
Don't worry, we already
deleted it off his phone.
Who sent it to him?
My guess is
Probably the guy who
pretended to be Oliver
two months ago on Ghost Letter.
Why would some pervert send my nudes
to a guy I know from Math League?
Because he asked
for a photo in exchange.
That guy wanted the
kid from Math League
to send a nude of himself in return?
That's what it's looking like.
Hey, look,
I know you and the boy
who got your photo yesterday
both go to separate schools,
but you do have Math League in common.
So is there anything
else that you can think of?
A mutual friend, a coach, a tutor?
We have the same
college admissions advisor.
What's your advisor's name?
Adam Parker. Yeah, that's him.
- How much you know about him?
- I mean, he
He's the most sought-after
admissions advisor
on the Upper East Side.
Adam wouldn't hurt anyone.
Well, even if he would,
Adam makes $400 an hour.
Why the hell would he get
wrapped up in something like this?
Well, at this point,
we're just looking
for connections, Mr. Banks.
My older daughter wouldn't have
gotten into Brown without him.
Yeah, well, sometimes people
aren't who you think they are.
Yeah, that's him.
Adam Parker.
Costs an arm and a leg,
but he's the best there is.
And you say you've only
used him for one session so far?
Ever since Eli heard of him.
I checked his references.
Guidance counselor swears by him.
Eli, did you and Adam ever
discuss your personal life?
Well, he said he needed
to know more about me,
that it would help zero in
on what my essay should be about.
He's not the strongest writer.
Thanks a lot, Mom.
So this college admissions
advisor was pretending
to be different high school kids?
Adam Parker, 38.
This guy's no joke.
He's some kind of genius.
He's got his PhD in computational
finance from Stanford.
He built himself a
hell of a business since.
Only problem is,
he's pretty successful
at his second job, too.
Yeah, perving on minors.
Do we know what he was
doing with these photos?
- Not yet.
- That's why we called you, Counselor.
Do we have enough for a warrant?
He's the only common denominator
for every kid that was targeted?
Some countries, that's enough
to put you in front of a firing squad.
Be a hell of a lot
cheaper than a trial.
This is a big case.
Nice work.
Pick him up.
All right.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Adam Parker?
♪
[GRUNTS]
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
Clear.
Hands up!
Hands up.
Get up.
He touch anything?
Yeah, he closed out
of some email account.
- I want a lawyer.
- I hope you saved some money,
cause you're going to need a good one.
- Velasco, grab that laptop.
- I'll do it.
We verify his identity?
I sent the female
vic a photo via text,
and she confirmed
that it's Adam Parker.
Currently, his only profession
is college admissions
counselor for the children
of Manhattan's elite.
His side hustle is
child pornographer.
But you didn't find any actual
kiddie porn in his house?
TARU's going
through his electronics,
but he must know we're
going to find something.
Why else would
she ask for a sit-down?
Well, so Celeste Palmer isn't cheap.
This guy didn't agree to
talk to us just to plead guilty.
This guy thinks he's slick.
He smiled when we cuffed him.
My guess, this guy
thinks he can play us.
Then it's game time
for you, Counselor.
Let's get started, shall we?
So
How does all this work?
How does all this work?
Well
You tell us why you lured
dozens of high school students
into sending incriminating
photos of themselves,
what you did with
them, and then we try
to put you in prison
for as long as possible.
We're here to cooperate, Captain.
Then let's hear it.
Well, I may be an opportunist
[CHUCKLES]
But I'm no pedophile.
You impersonated someone
that these kids knew online,
and then you lured them into
sending you nudes of themselves.
Which you did what with, exactly?
We already know,
that you gathered details
about the kids' personal
lives after you pretended
to help them with their essays.
- I wasn't pretending.
- Mm.
Now, I'm assuming
you saw my website.
It's a bold claim,
100% success rate getting
kids into top-tier schools.
One thing I never
lie about is stats.
I get results.
Speaking of which, we have
something concrete to offer.
After what he did?
That depends on what
we're talking about here.
My client is not the type
of criminal you're looking for.
Like I said, I'm no pedophile.
Well, if you're trying to frame this
as anything other than what it is,
a class D felony,
that's not going to fly with my boss.
My client can give you a
large group of pedophiles.
We're talking about
the buyers of the images
he culled over the years.
So you sold them.
How many pedos are
we talking about here?
- 50.
- 50?
Well, why would we
make a deal with you,
when TARU can get us
those same buyers
through his computer,
which you were no
doubt trying to delete
when my detectives
broke down your door?
- Not quite, Captain.
- Let me handle this.
The mail server he used
can only be decrypted
using a private key.
Not even your techs can crack it.
- OK, I'm listening.
- I'm not.
Your client,
sold these pictures internationally,
is that correct?
No one's denying that.
Well, then it's not
our deal to make.
This is for the Feds,
or maybe even Interpol.
Liv.
[DOOR SLAMS]
Do you want to give the Eighth Floor
50 pedophiles or not, Mr. Carisi?
Give me a minute.
[SIGHS]
You already on the phone
- with the Feds?
- Yes.
May I please speak with Special
Agent in Charge Harrison Clay?
Liv, hang up the phone.
Liv, listen to me.
Hear me out, please.
Carisi
Are you trying to prove to Baxter
that you're back to your regular self?
Is that what this is about?
Liv, we make deals all the time.
What is so different about this one?
Because parents entrusted
their children to this guy.
Yeah, and I understand your point,
but you're not even
trying to understand mine.
This guy is a scumbag.
And who knows how
far this case sprawls?
And the fact of the matter is
that we should be looping in
the Feds and Interpol right now.
We will, but this
is just one man, Liv.
And right now, we have an opportunity
to take down an entire
ring of pedophiles.
Is this some sick version
of a trolley car problem?
I'm not talking about
this guy walking free,
no repercussions whatsoever.
Well, good, because
that's not going to happen.
Liv, if offering him
some kind of limited plea
gets us a chance to get all
the photos of these kids back,
then we should do it.
Who knows what else these
50 guys are going to be guilty of?
OK.
OK, I get it.
You want to make
a deal with the devil.
If it gets me 50 devils, yeah, I do.
Good, OK. Well, I
don't have to like it.
I'm sure you guys heard all of that,
so, I suggest you go
home and get some sleep,
because first thing tomorrow,
it's all hands on deck.
- Captain?
- Hey.
Someone here to see you.
Leah.
The officer said that Detective
Silva was in a meeting.
Yeah, she's working
hard on your case.
- I hope I'm not bothering you.
- No, not at all.
Come on in.
- Please.
- Thanks.
Thank you.
What can I do for you?
I haven't
I didn't sleep at all last night.
Let's talk in here.
So it turns out that
this case has become
much bigger than we anticipated.
Bigger?
How?
There are a lot of
photos still out there,
and not just yours.
I've never done
anything like this before.
Mm.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Up until last year,
I used to be a bit overweight.
OK.
And so then I was always
really shy around guys.
And then I started
getting all of this attention.
And that must have
been confusing, huh?
Then
Oliver sat next to me in class,
and he seemed safe.
Well, according to
my detectives, he is.
Well, he's also shy,
which is why I reached
out to him on that app.
Yeah, I'm not going to tell you to
To stay off your phone,
but talking
to people in person,
that's a much better way,
of seeing who they really are.
♪
Listen up.
The DA and the Feds
have made a deal with Adam Parker.
- But he's going to do time?
- There's no hard number yet.
It's contingent on him delivering.
So what are we
getting from this guy?
We are going to get
access to the buyers
on his encrypted mail account.
And hopefully, all of
the victim's images back.
So what's the plan?
We lure these buyers into a
meeting using the same photos
that we already have in evidence?
And victimize these kids even more?
Well, we're going to have to
incentivize these guys somehow.
So that's why we
need to set up a sting.
I want you to reach out to these guys
and let them think
that there's an actual
Boy or girl in a hotel in Midtown.
Well, who's going
to pose as the bait?
You are, Silva.
OK, well, the buyers
are used to talking to him.
So, how am I going
to lure these guys in?
Adam's going to handle the language.
And we're sure we can trust him?
Well, we don't have a choice.
We made a deal, didn't we, Carisi?
Come on.
Let's go catch some pedophiles.
"I'm talking real girls."
We've got 12 guys signed on.
[COMPUTER CHIMES]
OK, I know this guy.
He likes them young.
Tell him 14.
Got him.
Let's go to the next guy.
[COMPUTER CHIMES]
That's another one.
Not safe for work?
He's in Chicago.
Middle of his work
day, he'll get back later.
Next.
Keep going.
Carisi
It's been eight hours.
How many pedos do
you have on the hook?
- We got five.
- Five.
- So far.
- OK.
- What if this guy is playing us?
- He's not.
Well, he's pretty smart,
and he's calculated.
We have 50 confirmed buyers.
Some of these guys,
they live in other states,
so this is just going
to take some time.
Time that we don't have.
I got a girl who's worried
about her photos being out there,
and she wants to know
that they're not going to
be sent to anyone else.
Liv, I respect what you're saying.
Of course I do.
And I am doing everything
that I can for your victim.
I would choose one
victim over five perps
any day of the week.
So if your perp wants
to earn his plea deal,
he's going to have to
deliver a whole lot more.
Mr. Parker, you did
not come through for us.
I told you, getting
these guys to commit
- it could take a while.
- We've been at this all day.
We only have five meets set up?
I made no guarantees
on the time frame.
- Where you going?
- Let me do the talking.
- There's nothing to talk about.
- The Captain's right.
Now I've got to go call my boss.
I've got to tell him
that you didn't deliver.
Wait.
I gave you access to my
buyers, the encrypted account.
But I can give you the
spot I found them online.
The guys that I sell to,
they only like teens, right?
But the ones in the place
that I'm talking about,
they like to hurt kids.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Where do we find them?
Uh, Wish Crafter.
Never heard of that.
I'm not surprised.
It's an online platform where users
can create, share, and play
games made by other users.
Just get to the point.
You want sickos?
I can give you the environment
they created for themselves
to hunt kids.
How many so far?
We got 30 guys coming to
the Baronet Hotel tomorrow.
All right, keep going.
I promised Benson 50.
I'm going to bring 'em 50.
[KEYBOARDS CLACKING]
[COMPUTER BLIPS]
Got another one.
He thinks he's meeting a 13-year-old
tomorrow in the 2:15 slot.
I got another one on the hook.
All right, reel them in.
[KEYBOARDS CLACKING]
Good.
Yeah, but, there's something off.
What do you mean?
Bring him up.
I think he's really a kid.
Not according to TARU.
E-mail into the account
puts his age at 32.
Nice work.
♪
[SIGHS]
[COMPUTER BLIPS]
You still here?
Come on, let's go.
Oh, it's that kid, Matthew.
You mean that pedophile
pretending to be a kid?
It's just, he sounds so young.
He's 32.
He's just working you, Silva.
- Did he confirm meeting at the Baronet?
- Yeah.
- OK.
- Tomorrow at 4:00.
Carisi is going to
need to show intent.
Did you ask him to bring alcohol?
Condoms?
There, I asked.
OK, good.
He confirmed.
We're all set.
What's a condom?
Wow.
He's really testing your innocence.
So, uh, what do I tell him?
Where to buy them.
Tomorrow's going to be
a long day for you, Silva.
Well, yeah, all I've got
to do is sound like I'm 14.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
Come on in. Just give me a sec.
Haley?
- Simon, right?
- Yeah.
Uh, I'll be right out there.
I just got out of the shower.
And you didn't forget to
bring the condoms, right?
No.
- Shows intent.
- Let's go.
- Hands up.
- What the hell?
- Turn around.
- Search him.
What is this?
- Got him, Sarge.
- You're under arrest.
Take him.
I'll be right out!
I got you some presents.
Get up.
- It's not what it looks like.
- Yeah?
- What's with the gift?
- And what are these for?
You're under arrest.
This is entrapment!
Tell that to your lawyer.
Come on.
Not a bad day's work.
Real work's just getting started.
Now we got to process all these guys.
Is that your 32-year-old
pedo with the lizard character?
- [KNOCKING]
- Amy, it's Matthew!
Sorry I'm late.
I took the wrong bus.
But I brought everything you asked.
Sarge, do we really have to?
Carisi put his ass
on the line with the DA.
We have 49 arrests.
We got to go by the
book with all of them.
- Matthew?
- Amy?
Amy, is that you?
Yeah.
Oh, it's so good to meet you!
I wanted to show you
my Gila Monster shirt.
Do you like it?
Are these your friends?
Uh, what's in your bag?
Oh.
Condoms.
I asked the guy behind
the counter at the deli.
I did what you asked.
Did I do good?
You did, Matthew.
Do you want to play Wish Crafter?
Maybe later, but right now,
my friends need to talk to you.
What?
What?
But my mom's going to be so mad at me,
and I need to be home before 8:00.
Where are you taking me?
Amy, I'm scared!
I want my mom!
Can I call my mom?
We'll call her for you!
You both saw him.
Silva, we're on your side here.
We're not going to really
get him processed, are we?
We don't want to do
this any more than you do,
but the way it looks, he showed up.
He knocked on the door.
Brought condoms.
It shows intent.
Cut him loose now,
a good defense attorney
will have all our arrests
thrown out for entrapment.
♪
[DOOR SLAMS]
Officer Chilton.
Can I help you, Detective?
Yeah.
Matthew Daly, where's he going?
It's getting late.
Probably not going to
arraign him till tomorrow.
Mm-hmm.
He'll be in the holding cell overnight
with the rest of these guys.
Uh, yeah,
is there any way to stop that?
It's above my pay grade, but,
if you don't mind my saying,
50 pedos in one sting?
Good job, Detective.
Silva, you're here early.
Captain, I need your help.
What
What's going on?
One of the suspects
that we arrested last
night in that sting
You mean one of Carisi's 50 pedos?
- It seemed that way, but
- OK. What?
What happened?
Matthew Daly is what happened.
He's special needs,
and I think I might have
worked him a little too hard.
How so?
I talked him into bringing condoms.
- Did he?
- Yeah.
That is a problem.
Captain, please.
Read his file.
He's not who we're looking for.
- I'm assuming you're happy.
- Actually, yeah.
You know, I haven't felt
this good in a long time.
So you delivered
your 50 cases to Baxter?
The only problem is, now I
got to prepare 50 arraignments.
How would you feel
about making it 49?
What, is this about the
the arrest Silva has a problem with?
Well, his name is Matthew Daly,
and evidently,
he sobbed
through his entire booking process.
All right, what do you
want me to do about it?
Well, for starters, how about
you look up from your paperwork
and look at me?
According to his medical file,
Matthew Daly has the
cognition of a fifth grader.
Well, this guy showed
up with condoms
to a hotel room where he thought
he was meeting a 14-year-old girl.
On the Eighth Floor,
they call that intent.
His only intent was to make a friend
in his favorite online world,
and he thought he
found that friend in Silva.
Maybe, but this is the real world,
and there's real-world consequences.
He's going to have a lawyer.
He can plead not
guilty at the arraignment.
Carisi, when this started,
Silva thought this case of yours,
which has blossomed into 50 arrests,
was a de minimis case,
a case so insignificant
that we shouldn't even
concern ourselves with it.
Matthew Daly is the
real de minimis case.
Are you lecturing
me about the law now,
in my own office?
I think the real question,
is what are we going to do about it?
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Mr. Krieger, on the
charge of attempted rape two,
how do you plead?
Not guilty, Your Honor.
- People on bail?
- We request 25,000, Your Honor.
My client has no priors.
25,000, granted.
Next case.
- How do you plead?
- Not guilty, Your Honor.
- People on bail?
- 25,0000 again, Your Honor.
25,000, granted.
Next case.
Matthew Daly, also charged
with attempted rape
in the second degree.
Mister
♪
Over here, buddy.
Over here.
Mr. Daly, how do you plead?
[STAMMERING] I I I
I didn't do anything bad.
Not guilty, Your Honor.
People on bail?
25,000, Your Honor.
25,000, granted.
Next case.
Still paying your penance?
Uh, yeah, I guess.
No one said self-flagellation
was going to be easy.
The sarge never should
have made me arrest that kid.
Well, maybe he did you a favor.
Sooner or later, you were
bound to learn the difference
between Homicide and Special Victims.
Arresting an innocent man?
When you were in Homicide,
all your victims probably had
chalk outlines around them.
Here, they still have a pulse.
Amy, what are you doing here?
Uh, I came to see you.
Oh, this is my mom.
Her name is Fran.
Oh, Matthew, this is
my friend, Detective Bruno.
Matthew, honey,
why don't you go wait for
me over by the elevator, OK?
- OK.
- Come on.
I'll walk you over.
- Bye, Amy.
- Bye.
♪
I'm really sorry about all of this.
My son is 32 years old.
He's never spent a night
away from me in his entire life.
He can't go to jail.
- Mrs. Daly, I'm going to fix this.
- How?
I don't know, but I will.
♪
This is wrong.
- This guy can't go to prison.
- Silva.
You should see that
sad-sack public defender he has.
That guy looks like he just
graduated from law school.
Silva, quit while you're ahead.
I will take care of it.
You already talk to Carisi?
You're just going to
have to trust me, aren't you?
Benson, you're here again.
And I don't want to be.
But as you know, Matthew
Daly was arraigned,
and the bail was set at a number
that his mother can't remotely afford.
Carisi, this case
needs to be dismissed.
We're about to have
another one of our arguments?
No, but I just came by to tell you
that I am going to talk to Baxter.
- Professional courtesy, huh?
- Something like that.
Well, explain to me,
what's courteous about you
going around me to my boss
to get my case dismissed?
If I have to do this alone, I will.
But I'd like you to come with me.
Thank you.
Hey, Liv.
You heard Baxter's assistant.
- He went home for the day.
- Yes, five minutes ago.
- He can't be far.
- What?
We're going to ambush
the DA in a parking garage?
If that's what it takes.
Liv, this is not how you
ask my boss for a favor.
Look, Baxter and I have
our own relationship, OK?
He owes me.
We need to talk.
Captain, you could have
just stopped by my office.
Yeah, I tried to tell her that.
I'm sorry for the intrusion.
- What's up?
- I wanted to talk to you
about reconsidering the charges
against one of the guys that
we caught in the sting yesterday,
Matthew Daly.
I may have heard something about it.
- And?
- It's a serious case,
- attempted rape in the second degree.
- I know.
Not to mention endangering
the welfare of a child.
And at the same time,
justice is about being fair.
And I would hardly call
the arrest of Matthew Daly
fair, exactly.
You know, a lot of
people on the Eighth Floor
- talk about you.
- What do they say?
That you're a pain in the ass.
You get personally invested
in each and every case.
And they think the courts
are no place for emotion.
Well, if you can separate
justice from emotion,
I'd like to see you try.
You think he's innocent, Counselor?
Enough to go to the judge,
ask him to be merciful, not punitive.
OK, here's what I'll do.
When I get back to my desk,
I'll personally look
over the case file.
Or you could just
read it on the way there.
[ENGINE STARTS]
Captain, where have you been?
Falling on my sword
in front of Baxter.
- The DA?
- Yeah, Fin.
Believe it or not, I have
friends other than you.
- Silva, my office.
- Uh-oh.
Called into the principal's office.
Yeah, guess so.
- What'd you do?
- My job.
I told you, switching
from Homicide to SVU,
you must be a glutton for punishment.
I got the DA to drop the Daly case.
- You did?
- I told you I would, and I did.
A thank you would be nice.
- Thank you, Captain.
- You're welcome.
I'm going to let Matthew
and his mother know.
OK.
And thank you.
Me, for what?
For reminding me what
a de minimis violation
really looks like.
[PHONE BUZZES]
Ah, now get out of my
office, because this is Carisi.
Yeah.
[SOFT MUSIC]
- So that's it?
- Mm-hmm.
It's over?
Yeah, there won't be
anything on his record,
and it'll be like it
never, ever happened.
Thank you.
- Matthew.
- Yes, Mom.
You better get over here
and say thank you to Amy.
Thank you so much, Amy.
Yeah.
Um, I just made myself
a wood elf in "Skyrim."
Wow, that's great.
Would you like to
come play sometime?
Yeah, I'd love to.
Oh my gosh, Amy,
yes, thank you so much.
Thank you.
♪
How'd that go?
Great.
Except, uh,
now I have to learn how to
play something called "Skyrim."
[CHUCKLES] I'll teach you.
Yeah?
I didn't know you were a
video game type of guy.
Not anymore.
Too addictive.
So, those photos of
me won't get out there?
We tracked down every single member
who had access
to Adam Parker's encrypted
email accounts, and it turns out,
that they only traded the photos
among themselves in a
draft form, which means,
they never
even went out over the wire.
So you can guarantee
that this is going to never
come back and haunt me?
Well, I can't guarantee anything
because of the type of
people that we're dealing with.
But the good news is,
you've got your
whole life ahead of you
and you'll probably
make more mistakes.
But that's OK, because
that's how we learn.
Well, I'm never
Going to send another nude
picture of me like that again.
You know, one thing I've
realized as I've gotten older
it's not the mistakes that define us.
It's the choices that we
make afterward that do.
♪
Thank you.
You take care of yourself.
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.
Rough night.
It was the best.
I tried molly for the first time.
Does she go to Alton Academy?
Yeah, very funny.
But not a girl, idiot, the drug.
I've never done it.
Oh, I have.
- Honestly, it's pretty mid.
- Your lies are mid.
This guy's been full of crap
since he signed up for acting class.
- [SCOFFS]
- [PHONE BUZZES]
Yo, didn't we just see
you turn your phone in?
Yeah, douche.
I have a second one.
Yo
You remember that Mathlete chick?
From Ellsworth?
She sent me a picture of her boobs.
- Whoa, let me see.
- All right.
Easy, guys. Calm down.
Mr. Sanders.
- Uh
- Who's a douche now?
Hand it over.
[BELL RINGS]
Sanders, my office.
All right, who's up
next in the catch order?
- I am, Captain.
- All right, Silva, you're driving.
Where are we headed?
Some kid at Harrington Prep
got caught with an
underage nude on his phone,
so let's go.
We got two 16-year-olds
exchanging nudes.
- It's not exactly a major crime.
- Yeah.
And chances are,
all we're looking at
- is a de minimis violation.
- Well, you're right.
I mean, some cases are
too small to prosecute,
but, I don't think this is one of them.
You got a hunch?
Look, when you showed
up at a homicide scene,
at least you had the
benefit of a dead body, right?
- Uh-huh.
- SVU is a more subtle art.
Like I said on the phone,
whoever this girl is
sent the nude unsolicited.
So he didn't even know this girl?
- Says he met her once.
- [PHONE RINGS]
Excuse me.
This is Headmaster Hobbs.
Ah, okay.
Sorry.
All right, so what can
you tell us about this kid?
Eli's smart, from a good family.
I've never seen this app before.
It's new.
It's called Ghost Letter,
erases the messages every 12 hours.
I would have been all
over that in high school.
His mother just showed.
Well, let's talk to him.
I told you, that girl
just sent her nude to me.
You didn't do anything wrong, honey.
Well, your son got caught
with an underage nude on his phone.
This is ridiculous.
They're two teenagers.
Half the kids in the school
probably have underage
nudes on their phones.
Well, they didn't get caught.
Eli did.
Why don't you just
talk to this girl then,
tell her not to text my son anymore?
Don't worry, we will.
Eli, what I'm trying to understand,
what I'm trying to
wrap my head around,
is why a girl that you hardly know
would send you a photo like this,
just out of the blue?
I guess she just thought
I was cute at Math League.
Math League?
I didn't even want to
do it in the first place.
Looks good on a college application.
All right, well, we'll
speak with her, then.
What's the name of this girl?
Leah.
I think she goes to Ellsworth Academy.
Mm-hmm.
Can I have my phone back now?
Don't you mean phones?
- Phones?
- Don't worry.
You'll get them both back,
after we speak with Leah.
OK, Ellsworth's about a
10-minute walk from here.
I don't think we can
embarrass the girl at school.
I'll call them and have them
get her parents to pick her up.
And have Bruno meet you
there and take her statement.
Oh, where are you headed?
I am
Gonna have TARU see
if Eli is telling the truth.
And with any luck,
your de minimis case
will be solved by lunch.
A topless selfie of me
was sent to a stranger?
Wait, you didn't send it?
- No.
- Leah.
Mom, I'm telling the truth.
Why would she send that to
some boy she barely knows?
Leah, you obviously
took this photo yourself.
You must have sent it to someone.
When did you take it?
Two months ago.
This has been out
there for two months?
What were you thinking?
I guess I wasn't.
He asked for it.
Who's the he in that sentence?
Oliver Banks.
We go to the same school.
We don't really talk much in person,
but
He reached out on this
app, and we started texting.
But, after I sent that photo,
he disappeared off of
Ghost Letter entirely.
Ghost Letter?
You know it?
It's the same platform
used to send your photo
to the kid who got it this morning.
Is it possible Oliver shared it?
Benson said we'd be
done with this by lunch.
- So?
- She was wrong.
Yo, Oliver.
You know a girl named Leah Hayward?
I mean, she's in my grade.
Uh, why?
She said she sent you
this a couple months ago
on an app called Ghost Letter.
You know about that app?
Yeah, but I don't have an account.
Prove it.
See, there's no Ghost Letter.
I wish I could talk
to a girl like that,
but, there is no way that Leah Hayward
would ever be into a guy like me.
So Leah says that she
texted Oliver,
a kid in her class that
she had a crush on,
at Ellsworth Academy.
The only problem
is, Oliver was shocked
that Leah even knew he exists.
The kid never got the photo?
TARU confirmed.
No nude photo of Leah,
and no Ghost Letter
app on Oliver's phone.
So we know for a fact
that Oliver wasn't
involved in any of this.
So then who sent Leah's photo
to Eli at Harrington
Prep this morning?
- Maybe there's a simpler explanation.
- Like what?
Someone who had
access to Leah's phone
sent it without her knowledge.
TARU just got back.
They want us there ASAP.
Let's go.
[TENSE MUSIC]
We managed to get into the account
of the Ghost Letter
user who posed as Oliver
- a few months back.
- And?
Whoever this guy is, he's got
60 other Ghost Letter accounts,
all pretending to be
a different student in
the Manhattan area.
So all these kids are trading nudes?
With the same guy?
He appears to be using them
as bait to get other students
to send nudes back.
It's pretty organized,
if you ask me.
What the hell are we looking at?
We're looking at a factory.
We just need to find out who runs it.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Ava Noonan, 16,
junior at Whitman Hall.
TARU is working on
the rest of their identities.
And I'm working on
notifying the parents
of the kids caught up in this.
So how did he trick these kids
into thinking they
were texting somebody
that they already knew?
Well, it wouldn't
be hard for this perv
to scour their socials.
But why only rich kids?
Only from elite private schools.
All on the Upper East Side.
It's a pretty specific demographic.
So what else do they have in common?
Other than they're
all on Ghost Letter
and their rich parents
wouldn't hesitate to sue our ass?
Somebody knew enough
about each one of these kids
to impersonate them on Ghost Letter.
Find out who.
What do you mean you
haven't found who did this yet?
We're working on it, Mrs. Hayward.
So my daughter's
underage nude is still out there
for the entire world to see?
Mom, calm down.
This could compromise
you getting into college.
Your entire future
could be in question.
Mrs. Hayward
All you ever do is
talk about my future.
How about how I feel right now?
You should have thought about that
before you pressed
send on a nude of yourself!
We talked about this.
Your father and I warned you.
You've gone full psycho!
Leah, get back here!
Mrs. Hayward.
Let's take a deep breath.
We're going to figure this out.
That photo will
be out there forever.
And we're going to
try and prevent that.
Do you mind if I talk to her?
Better you than me.
♪
[KNOCKING]
[SIGHS]
What?
You know, we're just trying to help.
If you want to help so
bad, then you can make sure
those pictures of me
don't end up anywhere else.
I'm sorry, I can't do that.
Can I?
♪
I thought I was talking
to a boy that I liked.
Then a stranger saw my breasts.
I know, this is hard.
But if it makes you feel any better,
you weren't the only
one who got fooled.
How many other kids were
tricked into sending nudes?
A lot.
And they're all smart, just like you.
Can I show you a picture of someone?
Does he look familiar at all?
Um, yeah.
- He goes to Harrington Prep.
- Uh-huh.
I sat next to him at a
math competition last week.
Well, he's the one who
got your photo yesterday.
Don't worry, we already
deleted it off his phone.
Who sent it to him?
My guess is
Probably the guy who
pretended to be Oliver
two months ago on Ghost Letter.
Why would some pervert send my nudes
to a guy I know from Math League?
Because he asked
for a photo in exchange.
That guy wanted the
kid from Math League
to send a nude of himself in return?
That's what it's looking like.
Hey, look,
I know you and the boy
who got your photo yesterday
both go to separate schools,
but you do have Math League in common.
So is there anything
else that you can think of?
A mutual friend, a coach, a tutor?
We have the same
college admissions advisor.
What's your advisor's name?
Adam Parker. Yeah, that's him.
- How much you know about him?
- I mean, he
He's the most sought-after
admissions advisor
on the Upper East Side.
Adam wouldn't hurt anyone.
Well, even if he would,
Adam makes $400 an hour.
Why the hell would he get
wrapped up in something like this?
Well, at this point,
we're just looking
for connections, Mr. Banks.
My older daughter wouldn't have
gotten into Brown without him.
Yeah, well, sometimes people
aren't who you think they are.
Yeah, that's him.
Adam Parker.
Costs an arm and a leg,
but he's the best there is.
And you say you've only
used him for one session so far?
Ever since Eli heard of him.
I checked his references.
Guidance counselor swears by him.
Eli, did you and Adam ever
discuss your personal life?
Well, he said he needed
to know more about me,
that it would help zero in
on what my essay should be about.
He's not the strongest writer.
Thanks a lot, Mom.
So this college admissions
advisor was pretending
to be different high school kids?
Adam Parker, 38.
This guy's no joke.
He's some kind of genius.
He's got his PhD in computational
finance from Stanford.
He built himself a
hell of a business since.
Only problem is,
he's pretty successful
at his second job, too.
Yeah, perving on minors.
Do we know what he was
doing with these photos?
- Not yet.
- That's why we called you, Counselor.
Do we have enough for a warrant?
He's the only common denominator
for every kid that was targeted?
Some countries, that's enough
to put you in front of a firing squad.
Be a hell of a lot
cheaper than a trial.
This is a big case.
Nice work.
Pick him up.
All right.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Adam Parker?
♪
[GRUNTS]
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
Clear.
Hands up!
Hands up.
Get up.
He touch anything?
Yeah, he closed out
of some email account.
- I want a lawyer.
- I hope you saved some money,
cause you're going to need a good one.
- Velasco, grab that laptop.
- I'll do it.
We verify his identity?
I sent the female
vic a photo via text,
and she confirmed
that it's Adam Parker.
Currently, his only profession
is college admissions
counselor for the children
of Manhattan's elite.
His side hustle is
child pornographer.
But you didn't find any actual
kiddie porn in his house?
TARU's going
through his electronics,
but he must know we're
going to find something.
Why else would
she ask for a sit-down?
Well, so Celeste Palmer isn't cheap.
This guy didn't agree to
talk to us just to plead guilty.
This guy thinks he's slick.
He smiled when we cuffed him.
My guess, this guy
thinks he can play us.
Then it's game time
for you, Counselor.
Let's get started, shall we?
So
How does all this work?
How does all this work?
Well
You tell us why you lured
dozens of high school students
into sending incriminating
photos of themselves,
what you did with
them, and then we try
to put you in prison
for as long as possible.
We're here to cooperate, Captain.
Then let's hear it.
Well, I may be an opportunist
[CHUCKLES]
But I'm no pedophile.
You impersonated someone
that these kids knew online,
and then you lured them into
sending you nudes of themselves.
Which you did what with, exactly?
We already know,
that you gathered details
about the kids' personal
lives after you pretended
to help them with their essays.
- I wasn't pretending.
- Mm.
Now, I'm assuming
you saw my website.
It's a bold claim,
100% success rate getting
kids into top-tier schools.
One thing I never
lie about is stats.
I get results.
Speaking of which, we have
something concrete to offer.
After what he did?
That depends on what
we're talking about here.
My client is not the type
of criminal you're looking for.
Like I said, I'm no pedophile.
Well, if you're trying to frame this
as anything other than what it is,
a class D felony,
that's not going to fly with my boss.
My client can give you a
large group of pedophiles.
We're talking about
the buyers of the images
he culled over the years.
So you sold them.
How many pedos are
we talking about here?
- 50.
- 50?
Well, why would we
make a deal with you,
when TARU can get us
those same buyers
through his computer,
which you were no
doubt trying to delete
when my detectives
broke down your door?
- Not quite, Captain.
- Let me handle this.
The mail server he used
can only be decrypted
using a private key.
Not even your techs can crack it.
- OK, I'm listening.
- I'm not.
Your client,
sold these pictures internationally,
is that correct?
No one's denying that.
Well, then it's not
our deal to make.
This is for the Feds,
or maybe even Interpol.
Liv.
[DOOR SLAMS]
Do you want to give the Eighth Floor
50 pedophiles or not, Mr. Carisi?
Give me a minute.
[SIGHS]
You already on the phone
- with the Feds?
- Yes.
May I please speak with Special
Agent in Charge Harrison Clay?
Liv, hang up the phone.
Liv, listen to me.
Hear me out, please.
Carisi
Are you trying to prove to Baxter
that you're back to your regular self?
Is that what this is about?
Liv, we make deals all the time.
What is so different about this one?
Because parents entrusted
their children to this guy.
Yeah, and I understand your point,
but you're not even
trying to understand mine.
This guy is a scumbag.
And who knows how
far this case sprawls?
And the fact of the matter is
that we should be looping in
the Feds and Interpol right now.
We will, but this
is just one man, Liv.
And right now, we have an opportunity
to take down an entire
ring of pedophiles.
Is this some sick version
of a trolley car problem?
I'm not talking about
this guy walking free,
no repercussions whatsoever.
Well, good, because
that's not going to happen.
Liv, if offering him
some kind of limited plea
gets us a chance to get all
the photos of these kids back,
then we should do it.
Who knows what else these
50 guys are going to be guilty of?
OK.
OK, I get it.
You want to make
a deal with the devil.
If it gets me 50 devils, yeah, I do.
Good, OK. Well, I
don't have to like it.
I'm sure you guys heard all of that,
so, I suggest you go
home and get some sleep,
because first thing tomorrow,
it's all hands on deck.
- Captain?
- Hey.
Someone here to see you.
Leah.
The officer said that Detective
Silva was in a meeting.
Yeah, she's working
hard on your case.
- I hope I'm not bothering you.
- No, not at all.
Come on in.
- Please.
- Thanks.
Thank you.
What can I do for you?
I haven't
I didn't sleep at all last night.
Let's talk in here.
So it turns out that
this case has become
much bigger than we anticipated.
Bigger?
How?
There are a lot of
photos still out there,
and not just yours.
I've never done
anything like this before.
Mm.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Up until last year,
I used to be a bit overweight.
OK.
And so then I was always
really shy around guys.
And then I started
getting all of this attention.
And that must have
been confusing, huh?
Then
Oliver sat next to me in class,
and he seemed safe.
Well, according to
my detectives, he is.
Well, he's also shy,
which is why I reached
out to him on that app.
Yeah, I'm not going to tell you to
To stay off your phone,
but talking
to people in person,
that's a much better way,
of seeing who they really are.
♪
Listen up.
The DA and the Feds
have made a deal with Adam Parker.
- But he's going to do time?
- There's no hard number yet.
It's contingent on him delivering.
So what are we
getting from this guy?
We are going to get
access to the buyers
on his encrypted mail account.
And hopefully, all of
the victim's images back.
So what's the plan?
We lure these buyers into a
meeting using the same photos
that we already have in evidence?
And victimize these kids even more?
Well, we're going to have to
incentivize these guys somehow.
So that's why we
need to set up a sting.
I want you to reach out to these guys
and let them think
that there's an actual
Boy or girl in a hotel in Midtown.
Well, who's going
to pose as the bait?
You are, Silva.
OK, well, the buyers
are used to talking to him.
So, how am I going
to lure these guys in?
Adam's going to handle the language.
And we're sure we can trust him?
Well, we don't have a choice.
We made a deal, didn't we, Carisi?
Come on.
Let's go catch some pedophiles.
"I'm talking real girls."
We've got 12 guys signed on.
[COMPUTER CHIMES]
OK, I know this guy.
He likes them young.
Tell him 14.
Got him.
Let's go to the next guy.
[COMPUTER CHIMES]
That's another one.
Not safe for work?
He's in Chicago.
Middle of his work
day, he'll get back later.
Next.
Keep going.
Carisi
It's been eight hours.
How many pedos do
you have on the hook?
- We got five.
- Five.
- So far.
- OK.
- What if this guy is playing us?
- He's not.
Well, he's pretty smart,
and he's calculated.
We have 50 confirmed buyers.
Some of these guys,
they live in other states,
so this is just going
to take some time.
Time that we don't have.
I got a girl who's worried
about her photos being out there,
and she wants to know
that they're not going to
be sent to anyone else.
Liv, I respect what you're saying.
Of course I do.
And I am doing everything
that I can for your victim.
I would choose one
victim over five perps
any day of the week.
So if your perp wants
to earn his plea deal,
he's going to have to
deliver a whole lot more.
Mr. Parker, you did
not come through for us.
I told you, getting
these guys to commit
- it could take a while.
- We've been at this all day.
We only have five meets set up?
I made no guarantees
on the time frame.
- Where you going?
- Let me do the talking.
- There's nothing to talk about.
- The Captain's right.
Now I've got to go call my boss.
I've got to tell him
that you didn't deliver.
Wait.
I gave you access to my
buyers, the encrypted account.
But I can give you the
spot I found them online.
The guys that I sell to,
they only like teens, right?
But the ones in the place
that I'm talking about,
they like to hurt kids.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Where do we find them?
Uh, Wish Crafter.
Never heard of that.
I'm not surprised.
It's an online platform where users
can create, share, and play
games made by other users.
Just get to the point.
You want sickos?
I can give you the environment
they created for themselves
to hunt kids.
How many so far?
We got 30 guys coming to
the Baronet Hotel tomorrow.
All right, keep going.
I promised Benson 50.
I'm going to bring 'em 50.
[KEYBOARDS CLACKING]
[COMPUTER BLIPS]
Got another one.
He thinks he's meeting a 13-year-old
tomorrow in the 2:15 slot.
I got another one on the hook.
All right, reel them in.
[KEYBOARDS CLACKING]
Good.
Yeah, but, there's something off.
What do you mean?
Bring him up.
I think he's really a kid.
Not according to TARU.
E-mail into the account
puts his age at 32.
Nice work.
♪
[SIGHS]
[COMPUTER BLIPS]
You still here?
Come on, let's go.
Oh, it's that kid, Matthew.
You mean that pedophile
pretending to be a kid?
It's just, he sounds so young.
He's 32.
He's just working you, Silva.
- Did he confirm meeting at the Baronet?
- Yeah.
- OK.
- Tomorrow at 4:00.
Carisi is going to
need to show intent.
Did you ask him to bring alcohol?
Condoms?
There, I asked.
OK, good.
He confirmed.
We're all set.
What's a condom?
Wow.
He's really testing your innocence.
So, uh, what do I tell him?
Where to buy them.
Tomorrow's going to be
a long day for you, Silva.
Well, yeah, all I've got
to do is sound like I'm 14.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
Come on in. Just give me a sec.
Haley?
- Simon, right?
- Yeah.
Uh, I'll be right out there.
I just got out of the shower.
And you didn't forget to
bring the condoms, right?
No.
- Shows intent.
- Let's go.
- Hands up.
- What the hell?
- Turn around.
- Search him.
What is this?
- Got him, Sarge.
- You're under arrest.
Take him.
I'll be right out!
I got you some presents.
Get up.
- It's not what it looks like.
- Yeah?
- What's with the gift?
- And what are these for?
You're under arrest.
This is entrapment!
Tell that to your lawyer.
Come on.
Not a bad day's work.
Real work's just getting started.
Now we got to process all these guys.
Is that your 32-year-old
pedo with the lizard character?
- [KNOCKING]
- Amy, it's Matthew!
Sorry I'm late.
I took the wrong bus.
But I brought everything you asked.
Sarge, do we really have to?
Carisi put his ass
on the line with the DA.
We have 49 arrests.
We got to go by the
book with all of them.
- Matthew?
- Amy?
Amy, is that you?
Yeah.
Oh, it's so good to meet you!
I wanted to show you
my Gila Monster shirt.
Do you like it?
Are these your friends?
Uh, what's in your bag?
Oh.
Condoms.
I asked the guy behind
the counter at the deli.
I did what you asked.
Did I do good?
You did, Matthew.
Do you want to play Wish Crafter?
Maybe later, but right now,
my friends need to talk to you.
What?
What?
But my mom's going to be so mad at me,
and I need to be home before 8:00.
Where are you taking me?
Amy, I'm scared!
I want my mom!
Can I call my mom?
We'll call her for you!
You both saw him.
Silva, we're on your side here.
We're not going to really
get him processed, are we?
We don't want to do
this any more than you do,
but the way it looks, he showed up.
He knocked on the door.
Brought condoms.
It shows intent.
Cut him loose now,
a good defense attorney
will have all our arrests
thrown out for entrapment.
♪
[DOOR SLAMS]
Officer Chilton.
Can I help you, Detective?
Yeah.
Matthew Daly, where's he going?
It's getting late.
Probably not going to
arraign him till tomorrow.
Mm-hmm.
He'll be in the holding cell overnight
with the rest of these guys.
Uh, yeah,
is there any way to stop that?
It's above my pay grade, but,
if you don't mind my saying,
50 pedos in one sting?
Good job, Detective.
Silva, you're here early.
Captain, I need your help.
What
What's going on?
One of the suspects
that we arrested last
night in that sting
You mean one of Carisi's 50 pedos?
- It seemed that way, but
- OK. What?
What happened?
Matthew Daly is what happened.
He's special needs,
and I think I might have
worked him a little too hard.
How so?
I talked him into bringing condoms.
- Did he?
- Yeah.
That is a problem.
Captain, please.
Read his file.
He's not who we're looking for.
- I'm assuming you're happy.
- Actually, yeah.
You know, I haven't felt
this good in a long time.
So you delivered
your 50 cases to Baxter?
The only problem is, now I
got to prepare 50 arraignments.
How would you feel
about making it 49?
What, is this about the
the arrest Silva has a problem with?
Well, his name is Matthew Daly,
and evidently,
he sobbed
through his entire booking process.
All right, what do you
want me to do about it?
Well, for starters, how about
you look up from your paperwork
and look at me?
According to his medical file,
Matthew Daly has the
cognition of a fifth grader.
Well, this guy showed
up with condoms
to a hotel room where he thought
he was meeting a 14-year-old girl.
On the Eighth Floor,
they call that intent.
His only intent was to make a friend
in his favorite online world,
and he thought he
found that friend in Silva.
Maybe, but this is the real world,
and there's real-world consequences.
He's going to have a lawyer.
He can plead not
guilty at the arraignment.
Carisi, when this started,
Silva thought this case of yours,
which has blossomed into 50 arrests,
was a de minimis case,
a case so insignificant
that we shouldn't even
concern ourselves with it.
Matthew Daly is the
real de minimis case.
Are you lecturing
me about the law now,
in my own office?
I think the real question,
is what are we going to do about it?
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Mr. Krieger, on the
charge of attempted rape two,
how do you plead?
Not guilty, Your Honor.
- People on bail?
- We request 25,000, Your Honor.
My client has no priors.
25,000, granted.
Next case.
- How do you plead?
- Not guilty, Your Honor.
- People on bail?
- 25,0000 again, Your Honor.
25,000, granted.
Next case.
Matthew Daly, also charged
with attempted rape
in the second degree.
Mister
♪
Over here, buddy.
Over here.
Mr. Daly, how do you plead?
[STAMMERING] I I I
I didn't do anything bad.
Not guilty, Your Honor.
People on bail?
25,000, Your Honor.
25,000, granted.
Next case.
Still paying your penance?
Uh, yeah, I guess.
No one said self-flagellation
was going to be easy.
The sarge never should
have made me arrest that kid.
Well, maybe he did you a favor.
Sooner or later, you were
bound to learn the difference
between Homicide and Special Victims.
Arresting an innocent man?
When you were in Homicide,
all your victims probably had
chalk outlines around them.
Here, they still have a pulse.
Amy, what are you doing here?
Uh, I came to see you.
Oh, this is my mom.
Her name is Fran.
Oh, Matthew, this is
my friend, Detective Bruno.
Matthew, honey,
why don't you go wait for
me over by the elevator, OK?
- OK.
- Come on.
I'll walk you over.
- Bye, Amy.
- Bye.
♪
I'm really sorry about all of this.
My son is 32 years old.
He's never spent a night
away from me in his entire life.
He can't go to jail.
- Mrs. Daly, I'm going to fix this.
- How?
I don't know, but I will.
♪
This is wrong.
- This guy can't go to prison.
- Silva.
You should see that
sad-sack public defender he has.
That guy looks like he just
graduated from law school.
Silva, quit while you're ahead.
I will take care of it.
You already talk to Carisi?
You're just going to
have to trust me, aren't you?
Benson, you're here again.
And I don't want to be.
But as you know, Matthew
Daly was arraigned,
and the bail was set at a number
that his mother can't remotely afford.
Carisi, this case
needs to be dismissed.
We're about to have
another one of our arguments?
No, but I just came by to tell you
that I am going to talk to Baxter.
- Professional courtesy, huh?
- Something like that.
Well, explain to me,
what's courteous about you
going around me to my boss
to get my case dismissed?
If I have to do this alone, I will.
But I'd like you to come with me.
Thank you.
Hey, Liv.
You heard Baxter's assistant.
- He went home for the day.
- Yes, five minutes ago.
- He can't be far.
- What?
We're going to ambush
the DA in a parking garage?
If that's what it takes.
Liv, this is not how you
ask my boss for a favor.
Look, Baxter and I have
our own relationship, OK?
He owes me.
We need to talk.
Captain, you could have
just stopped by my office.
Yeah, I tried to tell her that.
I'm sorry for the intrusion.
- What's up?
- I wanted to talk to you
about reconsidering the charges
against one of the guys that
we caught in the sting yesterday,
Matthew Daly.
I may have heard something about it.
- And?
- It's a serious case,
- attempted rape in the second degree.
- I know.
Not to mention endangering
the welfare of a child.
And at the same time,
justice is about being fair.
And I would hardly call
the arrest of Matthew Daly
fair, exactly.
You know, a lot of
people on the Eighth Floor
- talk about you.
- What do they say?
That you're a pain in the ass.
You get personally invested
in each and every case.
And they think the courts
are no place for emotion.
Well, if you can separate
justice from emotion,
I'd like to see you try.
You think he's innocent, Counselor?
Enough to go to the judge,
ask him to be merciful, not punitive.
OK, here's what I'll do.
When I get back to my desk,
I'll personally look
over the case file.
Or you could just
read it on the way there.
[ENGINE STARTS]
Captain, where have you been?
Falling on my sword
in front of Baxter.
- The DA?
- Yeah, Fin.
Believe it or not, I have
friends other than you.
- Silva, my office.
- Uh-oh.
Called into the principal's office.
Yeah, guess so.
- What'd you do?
- My job.
I told you, switching
from Homicide to SVU,
you must be a glutton for punishment.
I got the DA to drop the Daly case.
- You did?
- I told you I would, and I did.
A thank you would be nice.
- Thank you, Captain.
- You're welcome.
I'm going to let Matthew
and his mother know.
OK.
And thank you.
Me, for what?
For reminding me what
a de minimis violation
really looks like.
[PHONE BUZZES]
Ah, now get out of my
office, because this is Carisi.
Yeah.
[SOFT MUSIC]
- So that's it?
- Mm-hmm.
It's over?
Yeah, there won't be
anything on his record,
and it'll be like it
never, ever happened.
Thank you.
- Matthew.
- Yes, Mom.
You better get over here
and say thank you to Amy.
Thank you so much, Amy.
Yeah.
Um, I just made myself
a wood elf in "Skyrim."
Wow, that's great.
Would you like to
come play sometime?
Yeah, I'd love to.
Oh my gosh, Amy,
yes, thank you so much.
Thank you.
♪
How'd that go?
Great.
Except, uh,
now I have to learn how to
play something called "Skyrim."
[CHUCKLES] I'll teach you.
Yeah?
I didn't know you were a
video game type of guy.
Not anymore.
Too addictive.
So, those photos of
me won't get out there?
We tracked down every single member
who had access
to Adam Parker's encrypted
email accounts, and it turns out,
that they only traded the photos
among themselves in a
draft form, which means,
they never
even went out over the wire.
So you can guarantee
that this is going to never
come back and haunt me?
Well, I can't guarantee anything
because of the type of
people that we're dealing with.
But the good news is,
you've got your
whole life ahead of you
and you'll probably
make more mistakes.
But that's OK, because
that's how we learn.
Well, I'm never
Going to send another nude
picture of me like that again.
You know, one thing I've
realized as I've gotten older
it's not the mistakes that define us.
It's the choices that we
make afterward that do.
♪
Thank you.
You take care of yourself.