- In the nation's largest city,
the vicious and violent members
of the underworld are hunted by the detectives
of the Organized Crime Control Bureau.
These are their stories.
- This op is about to go live.
- My job is to catch scumbags.
You wanna come at me, come at me.
- We filed a lawsuit against the NYPD.
- Does your wife, Sergeant Ayanna Bell,
support a lawsuit against her fellow officers?
- Would you have our backs?
- You can't handle this alone.
- We can't just back down now.
We are out here with little backup.
- Hands in the air! - Freeze!
- Go ahead. Shoot me.
That's what you do.
♪
- Gina Cappelletti.
Tell us what happened.
- I don't know!
- We know you were there.
- Are you in love with him?
- Did she tell you she ordered the hit on your wife?
- Ignore him, Elliot. This is what he does.
- You know you're not the love of his life.
What was her name again, Elliot?
♪
- Docket ending 1122,
23, and 24.
People versus Richard Wheatley, Dana Wheatley,
and Richard Wheatley, Jr.
Defendants are charged with 23 counts of penal law,
section 46022,
aggravated enterprise corruption.
Penal law 47020,
money laundering in the first degree.
Penal law 22043,
criminal sale of a controlled substance in the first degree.
And for the defendant Richard Wheatley only,
two counts of penal law section 12020,
murder in the second degree
for the murder of Manfredi Sinatra...
And the murder of Kathleen Marie Stabler.
- Anything else you want to throw in there?
Shoplifting, jaywalking, maybe a little gangbanging?
- Do you find this amusing, Mr. Wheatley?
- No, Your Honor. I find it terrifying.
A man in my position is used to being targeted,
but it's a new low when my children,
just beginning their adult lives,
are attacked by a system
that view them as-- as suspect,
only because the color of their skin--
- That's enough. - It's absolutely disgraceful.
- That is enough, Mr. Wheatley.
- His strategy is you can't prosecute us,
'cause my kids are Black?
- Yeah, historically, that hasn't worked very well.
- How do your clients plead? - Athena Davis,
for the defendant Richard Wheatley, Your Honor.
The defendant pleads not guilty.
- Not guilty. - Not guilty.
- People, I'll hear you on bail.
- Your Honor, the defendants have been charged
in one of the most far-reaching organized crime cases
to come out of the city of New York in over a decade--
racketeering, money laundering. multiple murders,
including the targeted murder of a police officer's wife.
And all in addition to the grotesque acquisition
of millions of doses of COVID vaccines
for the express purpose of extorting developing nations.
In light of the charges and the multiple life sentences
that the defendants are facing,
the people request that all three be remanded without bail.
- Defendants are remanded. Bailiff, take charge.
- Go ahead.
- Not a lot of fireworks.
- So what is his strategy?
- I'm sure we're gonna find out soon enough.
- Here she is! Ms. Davis!
- Ms. Davis, can you please just explain how...
- Is he worried that his children are gonna make a deal
and testify against him?
- Is it true Wheatley's ex-wife,
Professor Angela Wheatley,
is already cooperating with the prosecution?
- Let me be very clear.
Richard Wheatley is the victim here.
Dana Wheatley and Richard Wheatley, Jr.
will not be testifying against their father
because there's nothing to testify to.
What you did not hear in that courtroom today,
is that the Organized Crime Task Force
that led this investigation
has a massive conflict of interest.
And that conflict of interest
just walked out the courthouse steps.
- Head up, eyes forward. Just keep walking.
- No comment.
No comment.
- It's nice to know the department stands behind you
when you're pursuing justice for your family.
- I imagine it would be.
- Someday you won't have to imagine, Ayanna,
but we have to stay the course.
- Stabler has my back.
I'm glad to have his.
♪
- As for Angela Wheatley,
I think it's just sad and pathetic
that after all these years,
she's still unable to let go
of the bitter vindictiveness
she has towards her ex-husband.
- ...Has led him to entertain
no one other than Richard Wheatley as a suspect,
which has led the full-scale railroading...
- Hold up, Counselor.
- You really gonna do this every time?
Has she eaten anything? - Barely.
She had a little fruit salad this morning.
- I brought you the pappardelle al limone from I Sodi.
She can't resist that.
You can taste test it if you must,
or I will, and if I start to convulse--
- Counselor, there's no outside food allowed, okay?
Everything has to come from the hotel kitchen
where we can control it.
Hey, man, I'm just trying to keep her safe, okay?
- In case you get bored...
- How many people do they have guarding me?
- I don't know exactly.
I saw a couple plainclothesmen on my way in.
- It won't stop him.
♪
What about my children?
- Still working on it.
- If they let me talk to Richie,
I can get him to cooperate.
I know he's terrified-- he's never had to make
existential decisions all by himself--
- Look, I'm doing my very best, Angela,
but he's about to be charged
as an accessory to the murder of a police officer.
- I don't believe he was involved
in whatever happened to her.
- Kay, I'ma wait to hear
if there's gonna be a grand jury.
- Ellsworth.
Did you find out anything about that woman?
- I did some checking.
It's probably just another bluff,
but a couple people thought that your ex might have been
referring to Detective Stabler's former partner,
Captain Olivia Benson.
♪
- Let me worry about Angela.
I'm pretty sure she'll make the right decision in the end.
Tell me where we are on the RICO charges.
- Depends on what they have--
wiretaps, video surveillance,
confidential informants, bank records.
- Let's assume they have it all.
- Okay.
A case this sprawling and complex
might not see the inside of a courtroom
for a year, at least.
You will sit here, biding your time.
- The hell I will.
- If you're gonna play your card, Richard,
now's the time.
♪
- The Contrapos bank records go to 46022.
- Except for payments for bulk orders.
Those go to CSCS. - Kay.
- I'll take that over here.
- I didn't find any case-related stuff
in her apartment.
- Because she was a good undercover.
You got all her personal belongings?
- They're in my car.
I wasn't sure what to do with it.
- You can give them to me.
I'll make sure her brothers get them.
Her family didn't know she was a cop.
Cappelletti family mostly rolls with the other side.
- I know what that's like.
- Yeah. I know you do, Morales.
I appreciate you.
- We just found out
Assistant U.S. Attorney Vince Baldi.
- He's a clown.
- Isn't he about to run for governor?
- There's no better way to start off
your gubernatorial campaign than with a big,
splashy takedown of corrupt organizations.
- He's gonna get Baldi to big foot our case.
- He doesn't want a Manhattan D.A. to prosecute him.
He wants a federal trial.
- Doesn't want a federal trial.
He wants a get-out-of-jail free card from the feds.
He's doing it to try and make a deal with Baldi.
- What does Wheatley have that's worth so much?
I mean, I know he has dirt on people.
- Probably offered him a personal,
guided tour of the dark web.
- Yeah, he's been there. He knows them--
an international who's-who of bad actors.
- But it's not a done deal? - Mm-mm.
Tomorrow Wheatley's being transported downtown
for a meeting with Baldi.
♪
- Hello.
How can I help you this evening?
- No, I only met him once--
in his office on one of the Hollywood lots.
He has a butler in full livery
and a nurse who follows him around
hooked up to some kind of portable IV drips.
I'm not-- - Vince?
We need to talk. Excuse me.
- For those of you who don't know her, ADA Anne Frazier,
New York's most persistent ankle-biter.
I don't know you two.
- Wheatley wasn't even on your radar
until we took him down.
- As it happens, I've known Wheatley for years.
- Because he donated to your political campaign.
- That's not a crime, but if he turns out to be a criminal,
you can be sure I'll return every penny he ever gave me.
- Mr. Baldi, this man is a ruthless criminal.
I have spent every day, for many years,
making a case against him. He does not deserve a break.
- I'm not looking to give him a break.
Listen, I assure you-- - He murdered my wife.
♪
- And I assure you
I want the same thing you all want.
Justice.
If Richard Wheatley has knowledge that can help us
achieve that on a grander scale,
I'm obliged to consider it.
It's just a meeting.
Yeah.
The breathing is helping.
Yeah.
Yeah, I remember what we discussed.
Yes, I do. You...
you said,
choose someone I trust and call them.
Yeah.
♪
- You all right?
- Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
- About time you called.
Therapy?
- Yeah. PTSD specialist.
We're working on
coping strategies.
- Yeah, well,
anybody who does what we do
can definitely use it.
♪
- Thanks for coming.
I'm new at this. What do we do?
- You do nothing.
Just be.
I'm here.
- I have Triscuits and water.
Of course you do.
It's perfect.
- Did he step out of bounds? I think he did.
Yes, and we're going back to the play.
- What you need, fish?
- Those are the Marcy Killers, right?
- Don't know what you're talking about.
Move on.
- I'm Rafiq Wheatley's brother.
His half-brother.
- Raffi the Poet's brother.
You wanting protection?
- I know something that's going down on the outside.
It involves someone you work for.
- I don't work for nobody, pretty boy.
- Congressman Leon Kilbride.
♪
- You're gonna keep your mouth shut up in here, young boy.
Get up with you later.
♪
- Detective Morales, Washburn's on his way up.
- What's up, man?
How's it been going in here?
- It's quiet.
- Are you out of here?
- Yeah, I'm out. Good luck.
- Hey, Professor Wheatley.
Got everything you asked for.
It's shampoo and conditioner, shea butter moisturizer,
and a roll-on stick. - Thanks.
- I met with my lawyer this morning.
She said my father is gonna meet
with the U.S. attorney's office,
try to plead out his case.
- Go on.
- I know he's always talking about the Marcy Killers
and how you guys are all up
in Congressman Kilbride's business.
- First, I'm not the Marcy Killers, all right?
That's street soldiers.
Nor do I know a Congressman Kilbride.
I do know a gentleman by the name of Mr. Taylor though.
Do you understand?
- Mr. Taylor.
- I got a question, young boy.
Thought you people never went against the family.
Why you serving up your pops?
- He killed my grandfather.
- She's in the shower.
- Great.
- Play defense!
There you go. Boom!
- Hey, can you keep it down?
- Playing very well tonight.
- Come on, come on, come on.
Professor Wheatley?
Professor Wheatley!
Ah, come on!
- No. No, no, no, no, no.
No.
- Hey, stay with me. Stay with me.
Look. Hey, hey, stay here.
Hey, Angela. I'm here.
- This is Organized Crime Task Force.
- Angela, Angela. We're here.
- Utopia Motel. - Open. Come on.
Open your eyes. Come on, Angela, Angela.
Angela, Angela, focus. That's it.
- It's a possible poisoning. - I'm right here.
- That's it, that's it.
I'm right here. Come on.
No, no, no, no, no, damn it.
Come back, come back.
Come on. Get over here, damn it!
♪
- Worse.
- The anxiety?
- Mm-hmm.
And, um...
A feeling of hopelessness.
- Why do you think that is?
- Work.
You know, work helps.
It, um...
Keeps the darkness at bay.
- But you haven't stopped working.
- Hmm? No, no, I'm working.
Yeah, no.
But it's the case.
The case.
It's out of my hands. You know, I've done my job,
and now it's up for the, uh,
money and lawyers to, uh, twist the truth.
- That makes you feel out of control?
- No, no. It's not about control.
It's, um...
♪
I know what justice is.
I know what it looks like. I know what it feels like.
- You know, Elliot, during our last session,
you expressed a feeling
that you had made some bad decisions.
Is it possible that you're anxious
somehow that those
lapses in judgment
might affect whether or not justice prevails?
- I have to take this.
Stabler.
Is she gonna make it?
- Angela Wheatley is lucky to be alive.
They found a lethal dose of Novichok in her blood.
- That the stuff the Russians used on Navalny?
- It would make sense,
given that Wheatley's new friends are Russian.
- Fortunately, EMS was quick on the scene
and rushed her to Briarwood.
They have her stabilized with an IV.
Morales is there, and we upped her security.
- I just--I don't know
how they could've got that into her food.
I mean, Morales and I were there.
We were airtight. We were 24/7.
- Jet, where are we on the tox reports?
- Food all cleared. Like Washburn said,
it came straight from the control kitchen.
Nobody touched it en route.
Tox doesn't think she ingested the poison.
We're still waiting on analysis on the products
she used in the shower,
but that was all stuff brought in by us when we loaded her in.
- Freddy? - I went to Westmere Drugs,
and I picked up a few things for her.
She didn't like the brands we had loaded in.
They were stripping her hair or something.
Guys, I went to the store, and I picked up the bag myself.
- Picked it up, as in curbside?
So you ordered it on an app?
- Yeah. Our phones are encrypted.
- Our work phones are encrypted.
Our civilian phones aren't. Which one did you use?
♪
Yeah. This info went two places.
It copied itself.
- I'm sorry.
Guys, I--all of you,
I am so, so sorry.
- One second.
Albertine's just about to escape from Marcel's apartment.
- Your hands up.
Let's go.
- Where's your convoy? - No convoy.
We're just taking him downtown, Detective.
- Agent Sanchez, Sergeant Bell.
I know you know by now Richard Wheatley
is a very wily individual. - Aren't they all?
- He has a ton of connections on the outside--
- Thanks, Sergeant.
We've done this before. I think we can handle it.
- You're gonna need more security.
He's a flight risk and a dangerous individual.
You need more security.
Let's tail them. - You read my mind.
♪
- Mr. Taylor? Hugo.
He on the move.
- What you got?
- Hey, baby, what's up? - Oh, please don't tell me
your wife's going into labor right now.
- You know, I really don't love the mural.
I think we should just paint the room blue,
see what he's into when he gets here.
You did not just say that.
All right. Love you.
Don't try me.
♪
- All right, come on.
- - Son of a bitch.
What is he doing?
Hey!
- Move the truck.
- Get out of here! - Come on!
- 10-13 shots fired.
I need a bus at Forsythe off East Broadway.
I got three federal agents down.
One gunman down. - You hit?
- I'm all right.
- Let's go.
Let's hit it.
- They are armed.
- Right, this way.
- The door! Move, move!
Move it.
- Put your arms around my neck.
♪
This way.
He's bleeding pretty bad.
Try to find me something to use as a tourniquet.
Get up here. Up here.
- Here.
- I saw you kill that goon.
If anyone asks, I'll say it was a good shooting.
- Nobody asked you.
- Those weren't my guys, you know.
- Yeah? A bullet wound in you.
- Where?
- So who were they, if they weren't your guys?
- No idea.
- Maybe it was one of your business associates
worried you were gonna rat him out.
- Or maybe it was your kids.
- No chance. - Are you sure about that?
With their lawyers whispering in their ears?
You did kill their grandpa, after all.
Not a very trustworthy guy.
- Organized crime to central.
10-13. I repeat.
We need backup.
- Just give us Wheatley. -
- Who do you want?
- Wheatley. Now.
- How much for him?
- Give me Wheatley now.
- I wanna talk to your boss. Who's the boss?
You're the boss over there?
- I'm the boss. You talk to me.
- Okay, so then how much?
- Shut up and give me Wheatley now.
- I heard you! What's he worth to you?
- Sarge, what do you say?
We're running out of time here.
- All right, brothers.
Look, I'm with you, all right?
I want everybody to walk out of here alive.
So I'ma get Wheatley...
And I'ma bring him to you slowly, okay?
All right?
I'ma walk him right over to you.
Just hand him right to you.
- Police! Drop your weapon!
- Don't move.
- One of the shooters down! First shooter down!
- We got one down! - Move in, move in!
- Do not move! - Put it down!
- NYPD! - Drop your weapon!
- Get on your knees!
Put your hands behind your back right now.
Easy.
- Bell.
Yeah. We're headed outside.
We have him in custody.
Bus is arriving.
He's injured. We're taking him to a hospital.
- It's just a flesh wound. Don't worry about it.
- Copy, Lieutenant Moennig.
- See if we got two more additional...
- What's up?
- We're riding with him in the ambulance.
If he doesn't die while he's in there,
we're delivering him to the U.S. Attorney's office.
Higher-up's orders.
♪
What's going on here?
- Someone started a threat on social
saying that Baldi was trying to big foot your case.
We're here to stand with you.
- They're here for us, Sarge.
- Thanks, Liv.
- Liv?
Captain Olivia Benson.
Wow.
Elliot, now I completely understand.
She's a knockout. Poor Angela though, huh?
Such a pleasure to meet you, Liv.
- Get him out of here.
- Come on. - Is that a "yes" for dinner?
Thanks for saving my life. - Shut up.
- This is Vladimir Mikhailov,
Pakhan of Solntsevskaya Bratva.
Ties inside and outside the Kremlin.
He personally orchestrated the cyber attacks
on government computer systems
at the departments of Homeland Security,
Commerce, and the U.S. Treasury.
- Can you tie him directly to one of those attacks?
- I can walk you
right through his front door
virtually.
Right before the start of the pandemic,
my hot wife and I
took a memorable trip to Japan.
Here we are in Kobe where we're the guests of honor
at a dinner hosted by this man.
Masanori Watanabe.
- Yamaguchi-gumi.
- If you're at all interested,
I can detail all the many ways
that the COVID-19 pandemic
is being monetized by former associates of mine,
from Puglia all the way across Asia and Africa.
- Just give me a few minutes. I need to tend to something.
♪
This is a little bit highly irregular, Counselor.
- Well, Detective Stabler made a very interesting observation.
I think that you are gonna want to consider it.
- I'm listening. - As I'm sure you're aware,
Richard Wheatley has been charged
with a number of very serious crimes.
One of those crimes--
the murder of my wife.
It's worth nothing to your case.
- Well, I'd venture to say
it's worth a great deal to Mr. Wheatley.
- You and I both have jobs to do, Mr. Baldi.
Sometimes, they're at cross purposes of one another.
I did my job.
- Yeah. And now I'm doing mine.
- You should know there's several dozen police officers
outside this building right now.
More importantly, there are tens of thousands of others.
Every one of them
views the world through one prism--
their family.
Will I return home to them tonight?
Will they be there when I return?
Now, we risked our lives
delivering Wheatley to your doorstep
so that he could bargain with you for leniency.
Do not use the murder of a police officer's wife
as a bargaining chip in your deal.
- Is that a threat, Detective? - It's just a fact, Mr. Baldi.
You want to take the RICO charges?
They mean that much to you, fine.
But let us prosecute Richard Wheatley
for Kathy Stabler's murder.
- Today was a good outcome for me.
There were some minor setbacks towards the end,
but nothing I'm too concerned about.
- Okay. We'll see how minor it is.
We're gonna make sure the murder charges stick.
And you're never gonna see the light of day.
- First, let's set you up with the swanky new digs
at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
- You make sure all my necessities
make their way there. - It's already taken care of.
Oh, by the way.
I hope Angie's okay.
My lawyer tells me she had a little tummy ache.
- Watch your head. -
- Watch your leg.
♪
- Baby, I need you to do something for me.
Listen closely.
I'll talk you through it.
Go into the wine lair.
Good.
Bring up the launchpad.
Do you see the Tor browser?
Wonderful.
I'm gonna dictate a message to you.
And I want you to enter it
exactly as I say it.
Type...
"O,
"I'm in trouble.
Can you please come meet me?"
- They with us? - Yeah, they are.
Hey, Morales.
Stabler and I are on our way up.
Hi, we're here to see Susan Johnson,
room 516.
- Go ahead.
Elevator is around the corner and down the hall.
- Detective.
- Yeah?
- Elliot, I think I just saw
one of your detectives here dressed as an orderly.
- Wait. What do you mean "here?"
Where are you? - I'm at Briarwood.
You told me to meet you. I got your text.
♪
- El, go.
Go, that way. On the right.
- Morales!
Morales!
- I made a mistake.
- Morales, what's going on?
- I don't know, Ayanna. I messed up bad.
- Come on, man. What are you talking about?
- I shouldn't have took the call, but I did.
- How much did he pay you?
- 2 million.
But I got my sister.
I take care of her!
- Calm down. I need you to calm down.
- She idolizes me. And what am I gonna do now?
- Think about her right now, okay?
- I just want my job back.
- No. No!
Morales-- - Stay back.
- Hey, put the gun down.
No. You do not go out this way.
- Ayanna, I need you right now.
- I'm here. - I need you.
- I'm here.
I'm here, okay?
You can have--no!
♪
- Oh, God.
Can you hear me?
Hi, can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
- Code blue, room 538. Code blue, 538.
- Help--help me.
♪
- Professor Wheatley.
Stay with us. We need you.
Come on. Stay with us.
- Can you hear me?
- Angela, Angela.
We need you, okay?
- Stay with us.
- We need you, Angela. Come on.
Stay with us. Stay with us.
- I need help!
♪