"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." "[Elevator dings]" "Deputy Commissioner Abraham, which one of my detectives did what now?" "Don't be so cynical, sergeant." "It's your lucky day." "The legendary Jimmy MacArthur wants to interview your squad." "Jimmy Mac." "You mean "the legend in his own mind."" "Oh, come on." "He's the last of the great columnists." "He's got those two big, shiny Pulitzers to prove it." "He wants to do a story on SVU." "Why?" "'Cause he smells blood in the water?" "Oh, there's that famous cynicism again." "So here's mine." "Better to have him on your side..." " Our side... than not." " Our side?" "Well, you know, he called his friend," " the Commissioner..." " Ah." "So this is an order?" "An opportunity." "I'll think about it." "[Laughter]" "I push the door open." "The governor's there, talking to the president." "And I look down, I see a pair of heels poking out from underneath his desk." "So I make an excuse." "I say, "oh, I forgot my pen."" "He says, "don't worry, Mac, she takes dictation."" "[Laughter]" "Thank you for the advance notice." "There she is, the woman of the hour." "I had no idea he'd be here." "He was supposed to call ahead." "You see that?" "Hank's lying." "You know how you can tell?" "He's breathing." "So how are you, sergeant Benson?" "You look fantastic." "Hello, Jimmy." "Must be a slow news day if you're trolling for a sex crimes story." "Sex crimes?" "No." "Hank didn't tell you?" "I'm profiling you." "No." "He left that part out, actually." "The city needs heroes." "You surviving that ordeal, the crucible of the trial." "Now you're the head of Manhattan SVU." "Acting commander." "You two are all caught up." "I'll leave you to it." "I can't wait to read it, Jimmy." "Hank, what happened to your hair?" "Jimmy, there must be somebody interesting that you can write about." "Come on, kid." "You did good." "It's time for the world to take notice." "You want to do your first interview in your office?" "Now?" "No." "I have four open investigations, a meeting with the D.A. in an hour." "You want to talk to me after work?" "You know what?" "I'm working till 1:00 A.M. tonight, sorry." "I could sit here and talk with your detectives all day long, or we could have a late-night supper." "D'Apolito's?" "I'll just be hitting my stride." "Jimmy." "[Sighs]" "I'm gonna take that as a yes." "It's been great chatting with you." "Uh, Tutuola..." "Two ts, two us." "One "ola."" "Anybody want to be me for the day?" "So are you okay with us talking to him?" "Not really." "Jimmy did most of the talking." "He's a reporter." "He's working us, looking for dirt." "Look, I don't know what he's heard." "So, no?" "Jimmy is here at the request of one-p-p." "So he's gonna write this story either way, all right?" "So if we shine him on, he's just gonna dig deeper." "So yes?" "He's probably gonna nose around about the shooting, Nick, and Rollins' gambling operation." "Look, anything you say can and will be used against you." "Understood?" "You know, I've spent 15 years counseling women who have been assaulted, women who I have pushed to testify, you know, telling them they're not alone," ""it's not your fault." "You're strong."" "But until you go through it yourself..." "I was there for some of it." "Harrowing, just to watch." "It's over now." "So do you feel you have..." " Closure?" " Ah, yeah." "You know, there's some things, you can put them behind you, but they do change you." "It's a process." "The good news is, I don't have as many nightmares now." "Nightmares about Lewis." "You know what, Jimmy, I'm sorry." "I, um..." "Can we keep the nightmares off the record?" "I, uh..." "[Chuckles] Well, you do know you're supposed to say, "off the record"" "beforehand, but that's okay." "I don't want to give the prick the satisfaction either." "Thanks." "I owe you." "You and everybody else in the world." "[Phone chimes]" "I'm sorry, Jimmy." "I gotta go." " Duty calls." " You caught a case?" " I'll ride along." " Uh, that's not a great idea." "Well, the Commissioner and Hank, they authorized full access." " Did they?" " Yeah." "You won't even know I'm there." "Couple of tourists walking along said they heard moaning from the other side of that wall around 2:00 A.M." "The vic is Heba Salim, 24, clothes muddy and torn, scratches on her face, bruising on her body." " You get a statement?" " She was pretty out of it." "But she told the two responding unis that she had been raped by two male whites." "Okay." "We set up a grid search?" "From the park entrance, and we're canvassing hotel doormen on Central Park South." "So far, no witnesses." "What's this guy doing down here?" "Don't even start." "One-p-p gave him full access." "Nothing we can do." "There's something else." "The vic is Muslim." "Okay, and they tore her head scarf." "They taunted her with racial slurs while assaulting her." "Okay, let's just keep that between us for the moment." " Yeah." " Sergeant." "Your guys tell you that we're looking at a hate crime here?" "[Dramatic music]" "♪ ♪" "Let's not make more of this than it is." "We've seen this kind of thing before." "Reverend Curtis, Heba is in good hands here." "I hope that we can stay focused on this case." "As do I. This is just her family." "Her brother Fareed is on his way." "Have we even interviewed her yet?" "Yeah, she was completely out of it at the scene." "She was freezing." "She spent all night in the E.R." "I mean, this is the first chance we've had." "Look, we can't talk to her in front of her parents or you, reverend Curtis." "This is more than just a rape." "She was singled out because she wore a hijab." "We're exploring that possibility." "Possibility?" "She was called a "Muslim bitch."" "Am I misinterpreting that?" "Nobody is saying that you are." "Good." "Even so, this community doesn't trust the NYPD." " Oh, but they trust you?" " That's right." "They reached out to me to be their advocate." "Advocate?" "Any chance you told them that's exactly what the D.A.'S office is?" "Heba's parents are concerned with her honor and the family's reputation." "Go ahead." "Uh, we understand that." "So how about my detectives go in there with Heba... please get everybody else out of there..." "While you two work together in reassuring the family?" "You're telling me her name will be kept out of the press?" "We've already had a reporter call my house." "Who was it?" "Fareed took the call." "Jimmy MacArthur from The Ledger." "He had her home number." "He knew my sister's name." "He asked my son if we thought it was a hate crime." "He knew about the slurs." "So someone at SVU is already violating Heba's confidentiality." "That's not coming from anyone here." "Yeah, and why should we believe you?" "My brother blames himself." "He was with me at the event last night, but left early." "He told me to call a taxi." "Okay." "Well, let's not worry about him right now, okay?" "Can you tell us about this event?" "Fareed's firm, Hauser-Kemp real estate, sponsored the world food bank benefit at the Plaza." "I was a volunteer, handing out auction paddles." "And what time did you leave?" "Late." "A little after midnight." "Please don't tell my parents, but when it was over, I had a glass of champagne with the other girls." "Okay." "Did you leave with anyone, or did anyone follow you from the hotel?" "I was alone." "I went to the "n" train." "The street was quiet, but then I heard two men behind me laughing." "I thought I was being paranoid." "When you're a Muslim woman in a hijab, sometimes people make fun of you." "Okay, what happened next?" "I slowed down so they'd pass me by." "But they grabbed me, pulled me over the stone wall and into the park." "Okay, well, did you scream?" "Cry for help?" "I tried." "But they tore my hijab, held it over my mouth." "And then they threw me to the ground, face down." "Then they both raped me." "Okay." "Vaginally?" "I know this is difficult." "We just... we need to get all the details, okay?" "Okay?" "Yes." "I had nev..." "I was a virgin." "They took turns." "They kept saying, "go back to India."" "Okay." "Did they say anything else?" "They called me a Muslim bitch, a whore, terrorist." "Now, you said they were white." "Ms. Salim, would you recognize them if you saw them again?" "I don't think so." "I didn't really see their faces." "Do you remember anything else about them, like what they smelled like, maybe what they were wearing?" " Anything?" " No." "I just kept my eyes closed." "I was afraid they were gonna kill me." "So what are we looking at?" "The rape kit exam confirms vaginal tears and the presence of semen from two different men." "And remnants of torn hymen tissue." "[Sighs] Okay." "Where are we on the hate crime aspect?" "Well, they ripped off her head scarf." "They taunted her with racial slurs." "According to her." "We still haven't found any witnesses." "Oh, come on." "That time of night?" "Right by the park?" "Somebody should have seen or heard something." "Okay, well, then go back up there, re-interview everybody." "Doormen, street people." "Where are we with the security footage?" "We have the D.O.T. Traffic cam, but we're still checking into a couple other things." "Great." "Go." "What are you waiting for?" "Get moving." "Fyi, the family says Jimmy Mac called them." "He had details from the case." "Yeah, he was at the crime scene." "They think someone from SVU is talking to the press." "I was working late last night." " How late?" " 1:30." "I'm trying to log in as many hours before De Blasio phases us out." "And you were here, right by Central Park?" "Yeah." "You or any of your friends hear screams or see two guys take this woman down?" "I heard about it this morning." "Must have happened after I left." " Okay, thanks." " Keep the change, Harvey." "I'm gonna write about you in tomorrow's column." "Jimmy Mac's gonna make you famous again." "[Chuckles]" "Detectives Amaro, Tutuola." "Two ts, two us." "Am I right?" "So how's your vic?" "You find that head scarf yet?" "You think we're gonna talk to you about an open investigation?" "So you got nothing." "That's okay." "There may be nothing to get." " You got anything to share?" " [Chuckles]" "Jimmy Mac didn't become famous by sharing his sources with the cops." "You can read about it like everybody else in the city in tomorrow's paper." "Fellas, I gotta run." "I'll be waiting for you at the finish line." "Taxi!" "[Phone chimes]" "What does he know?" "I hope it's not this." "What's wrong with this picture?" "Time stamp says 1:54 A.M." "She's walking toward the park." "Clothes torn, no head scarf." "She lied about being assaulted in Central Park." "What else did she lie about?" "Yes, I think she was assaulted." "No, not in Central Park." "And why not?" "When we found her, she was covered in mud, leaves, and slush." "Yeah, on her hands, clothes, and face, but not on her thighs or buttocks." "Also, I found abrasions on her knees and palms that seemed consistent with carpet burn." "Okay, did you look for carpet fibers under her nails or in her hair?" "Amanda, she's getting to that." "Thank you." "Under the mud in her nails, I found fibers, some kind of animal hair..." "Each fiber individually dyed red and gold." " Thank you, Melinda." " Mm-hmm." "Oh, by the way, Jimmy Mac had nice things to say about you." "He called here?" "He came by this morning." "He's dated a few of the techs." "[Groans]" "I was raped by two men." "The rape kit showed that." "Yes, we believe that you were attacked, just maybe not in the way you described." "We found security footage of you crossing towards Central Park, your clothes torn, head scarf gone." "Now, you weren't attacked in the park, were you?" "I was attacked by two men." "They called me a Muslim bitch, tore my hijab." " What's going on, Heba?" " They don't believe me." "Mrs. Salim, there are some inconsistencies with her story, her timeline, the location." "You're calling our daughter a liar?" "No one is saying that." "Look, we do believe she was assaulted." "They want me to say it wasn't a hate crime." "They are afraid for their image." "New York is supposed to be better than New Delhi." "They want this to go away." "It won't." "We won't." " Ma'am..." " Get out of my house." "Now!" "So the benefit ended at midnight, and the security footage shows her walking towards the crime scene at what time?" "1:54." "I mean, look at this girl." "Something happened to her." "But not where she says or when she says." "Okay, and when you brought that up with her?" "She became defensive, even enraged." "You can understand why." "And then the mother threw us out." "Yeah, the family thinks that NYPD is trying to make this case disappear, that it's all just damage control." "Do they?" "Then this won't help." "Who's been talking to Jimmy Mac?" "And in walks my wife." "No, no, no." "Jeannie... my third wife, you meatball." "[Knocks]" "[Clears throat] I've got to go." "I'll tell you the rest later." "Sergeant." "So the Mountain really does come to Muhammad." "You, uh, want me to autograph the front page for you?" "Your story's wrong, Jimmy." "Somebody set out a pile of horse manure, and you just stepped right into it." "And you came here to clean that up for me?" "Circle where I got it wrong." "Your vic lied about where she went after the benefit." "She lied about being in the park." "And if you'd bothered to ask me," "I would have explained to you that more than half the time, the victim initially omits details of some aspect of the crime." "They omit details of some aspect?" "She made the whole thing up." " There was no hate crime." " Yeah?" "What makes you so sure?" "She claims that they said," ""go back to India, you Muslim bitch."" "How did they know that she was from India?" "Or that she was Muslim?" "Or that muslims even live in India?" "Racism is a crime of ignorance." "So you doubt her story because her attackers knew that she was Muslim?" "Mooks like that never attack attractive women." "They pummel "towelheads" behind a dumpster." "You know that her father was the victim of a hate crime after 9/11?" "The police wouldn't take the report." "So she stages a rape 12 1/2 years later?" "Come on, Jimmy." "Get real." "The girl was attacked." "You are a real sob sister, you know that?" "Your vic had a couple of drinks, had sex with somebody she shouldn't have, then conflated her father's story with her own to get her family sympathy." "The hospital reports show injuries consistent with rape." "But not scrapes from the stone wall, right?" "Just rug burns and carpet fibers consistent with a rough ride on some guy's floor." "Who showed you that report?" "You want my source?" "Okay, I'll give it to you." "Write this down." "It's a funny name." "G-o, space, f-u..." "I got it, Jimmy." "I got it." "I'm not so sure." "Maybe you should read the first amendment again." "I know you don't like reporters, but people don't speak to me because I carry a badge." "They speak to me because I keep my word." "We're done." "And I'm not going back on that for you or for anybody else." "And at least there's no press here." "Yet." "What do you people want?" "We're on Heba's side." "Yeah, but she needs to tell us what really happened to her that night." "Why?" "So you can accuse her" " of changing her story?" " No." "We want to find the men that attacked her." "Your department destroyed her reputation in the newspaper." "I swear, SVU knew nothing about that." "We saw the headlines." "You don't believe a word my daughter says." "We don't know what to believe." "This is Heba just before 2:00 A.M." "She's crossing toward Central Park." "Okay, she had already been assaulted." "Look, she left the benefit just after midnight." "That's a two-hour gap in her timeline." "Now, did you notice if she was with anyone?" "No, I told you I left the party early." "I asked my boss's assistant, Janelle, to keep an eye on her." "I can't believe something happened to Heba." "We all love her brother." "Fareed told us you were with Heba after he left the benefit." "I was supposed to be, but there were 200 other guests to look after." "Now did you see Heba leave with anyone?" "No." "How many times do I have to tell that guy to always be closing?" "Yeah, I hear you, boss." "Janelle, everything all right?" "These detectives are asking about Heba." " Heba?" "Ah." " It's awful." "I'll see ya later." "It's just horrible." "Did you see her at the benefit?" "Yeah, she was one of the volunteers, I think." "Well, you mind if we ask you a few questions?" "Not at all." "Guys..." "Oh, you'll have to take your shoes off." "No problem." "Hey, Nick, check out the rug and the nice view." "So I don't know that I'll be of much help." "I barely saw Heba." "By any chance, did you notice her talking to someone, maybe leaving with that person?" "No." "We'll need your guest list, any pictures, if you had a photographer." "Of course." "But our donors spent $10,000 a table, and Heba was just a volunteer." "I doubt any of them noticed her." "Still, it's just routine." "So you guys really think she was attacked?" "The paper said she was lying." "We're just following up." " Now, you left before she did?" " I must have." "I had business back here in the office, conference call with Hong Kong." "Hong Kong." "I always get the timeline messed up." "Are they in front of us or behind us?" "Hold on." "You're saying that Heba was assaulted in her brother's boss's office based on the color of the carpet?" "We're gonna need more than that to go after Elias Kemp Jr." "Warner was very specific about these fibers." "Now, if we can get a warrant, we..." "We can't get a warrant." "We're not gonna need one." "He's a neat freak." "His assistant made us take our shoes off." "Nice one." "Get that to Warner." "Even if she was assaulted there, given his profile, given his wealth..." "And the fact she's already lied to us." "Yeah, but if we're right, she lied to us because it was her brother's boss who did this to her." "Well, will she help us out now?" " Not quite there yet." " Okay." "Get the security footage from the building." "Dig into his past." "But please be discreet." "Everybody in your office running for the lifeboats?" "It's still an open investigation." "Open?" "How about imploding?" "City hall is apoplectic." "Why don't you quit while you're behind?" "Why?" "Because Jimmy Mac is bloviating in the press?" "Any leads on who his sources are?" "They seem pretty close to your investigation." "I can assure you that it's none of my people." "There are leaks in the M.E.'S office." "There are leaks in one-p-p." "And you're looking at us?" "[Knock at door] Hey, sergeant." "Sorry for the interruption." "There's something you need to see." "We went to Special Victims Unit, and we were promised that this case would be handled discreetly, that the victim's honor would be preserved, and that justice would be done." "Instead, the victim of a violent crime is being revictimized in the press by the very police officers who were sworn to protect her." " Reverend Curtis!" " Mr. MacArthur." "Reverend Curtis, why is this alleged victim not here today to answer any questions?" "Mr. MacArthur, this young woman has suffered enough." "I will not have her face a media lynch mob." "Reverend, admit it." "This is just another Tawana Brawley." "[Crowd jeers]" "Mr. MacArthur, you claim to be the conscience of your newspaper." "Where's the compassion for a young woman who's been violently assaulted?" "The only assault here is on the truth." " She lied." " No justice..." "No peace." "[Chanting] No justice, no peace." "No justice, no peace." "No justice, no peace." "Nice work with the socks." "Picked up fibers like a lint roller." "That's what I do." "I thought the guy's secretary told you to take your shoes off." "You get a match?" "I'll run DNA on the goat hair, but yes." "The fibers under Heba's nails and in her hair" " came from that carpet." " Are you sure?" "You realize you ask me this every time?" "No, I don't." "Yes, you do." "Yes, I'm sure." "I ran the fibers through the NYPD's animal hair collection." "Dyed goat wool and camel hair." "Whatever happened to her, it happened on the floor of that office." "Here's Elias and his V.P., Mike Sullivan, entering the offices of Hauser-Kemp at 12:05." "Must have been that conference call to Hong Kong." "Right, and then ten minutes later," "Heba shows up." " Any footage of her leaving?" " Yeah." "An hour and a half later, clearly post-assault." "That's no hoax." "So why make up the Central Park story?" "Because Fareed works for those guys?" "Or she didn't want to admit to her devout parents she went to that office alone to meet two men." "We can speculate all we want." "Only Heba knows." "And she's not talking." "Her credibility is shot anyway." "She didn't just lie." "She made an attack up out of whole cloth." "We know who did it, when, and where." "Let's start to build a case without her." "Wait, guys." "Please stop." "You can't go in there." "Don't worry." "We'll take our shoes off." "Yeah, as long as we get it by 4:00." "Excuse me." "Janelle!" "They just barged in, Mr. Kemp." "Redecorating?" "We're in a meeting, detectives." "Elias Kemp, Michael Sullivan, we have warrants to take DNA swabs." "[Speaks foreign language]" "Just open your big mouth." "Is this about "He-heba"?" "All right, she's a liar." "It's all over the news." "Shut up, Mike." "Let 'em take the swabs." "You can talk all you want downtown." "Come on, open up." "Are we under arrest?" "Not yet." "Then would you be so kind as to leave my office?" "I'll have my lawyer get in touch and set up a meeting." "Heba." "Heba." "I'm sorry." "I-I didn't realize it was a crime for my client to change decor." "You know what?" "It's all good." "We've got goat and camel fibers from his old rug, and we've got his DNA." "That's because Ms. Salim had consensual sex with my client on his office floor the night she lied about being raped in the park." " Consensual sex?" " That's right." "Then why didn't you just tell us that?" "Go ahead." "Heba's brother works for us." "He's told us how old-world his family is." "I didn't want to humiliate them by telling you what she actually did that night." "This girl was wild, okay?" "These repressed girls, when they let go..." "[Deep breath]" "They explode." "So the three of you, you were just partying?" "Yeah, I..." "It wasn't rape." "Okay, we just kind of..." "We kind of eiffel towered her." "And how long did she party?" "I don't know..." "A couple hours." "You know, I think she freaked out when she realized how late it was." "You know, Elias said that's why she made up that whole story anyways." "How could they say it was consensual?" "I would never..." "It's okay." "Nobody believes them." "We don't." "Everyone agrees on that." "Okay." "What we need, Heba, is for you to tell us what really did happen." "You want me to go up against the Kemp family?" "I can't." "I mean, my parents, my brother..." "I mean, that's why I said I was raped in the park." "I thought it would be better for them to hear that." "If Heba takes the stand, she'll be brutalized all over again." "And if you want to clear your name, if you want justice, you have to testify." "Otherwise, these men go free, Heba." "We hear you." "We will talk it over with her family." "Please do." "We're not giving up on this." "They're right." "Kemp's team will destroy her on the stand." "Is there any way to make a case without her?" "No chance." "Bad enough she made up her bizarre story." "But these guys are charismatic, good-looking." "I know, I know, I know." "Plus, they got your buddy, Jimmy Mac, hammering her every day." "First of all, he's not my buddy." "And second of all, one-p-p gave him full access." "Before or after the rape?" "Before." "Why?" "Check your timeline." "Kemp Jr. rapes Heba." "24 hours later, the paper his dad bailed out twice calls her a liar on its front page." "You think I'm in the tank for Kemp?" "How dare you?" "I write for the working stiff, the guy that takes the 7 train, the guy who worries whether his kid needs a new pair of shoes or not." "Okay, Jimmy, I understand." "No, you don't." "If I wanted to sell out," "I would have done that a long time ago." "I should throw you out of here on your can." "So you had no idea that junior was involved in this?" "That prick?" "No." "If there were any truth to it," "I would have written about it because it's a hell of a story." "Well, then write it." "Bring her here." "Have her tell me her story, and I'll consider it." "Are you out of your mind?" "Do you think she would talk to you after what you did to her?" "[Breathes deeply]" "No." "She knows I'll see right through her, just like I did in the first place, just like I see right through you." "You screwed up this investigation." "Now you want me to save your ass." "That's not what this is." "Oh, yes, it is." "And you can get down on your knees until they're raw." "I'm not gonna change my mind." "Wow, don't flatter yourself, pal." "Good night, sergeant Benson." "It's time to go, because you are boring me." "And that is the greatest sin of all." "The trial of real estate scion Elias Kemp Jr., and his associate Mike Sullivann begins today..." "The two men stand accused of raping a young islamic woman, a woman who initially claimed she was the victim of a hate crime assault by strangers in Central Park." "With us this morning is ledger columnist" "Jimmy MacArthur, who broke the story, exposing her initial claims." "And, Jimmy, some people thought this was a case that wouldn't even go to trial." "And with good reason, Katie." "This "Tawana-be," a phrase I'm hoping to trademark, lied to the police from the start." "If the detectives had read my column more carefully, they wouldn't be here." "Well, why do you think they didn't drop it?" "Pride." "Simple human vanity." "Nobody likes to admit they've been had." "The D.A.'S case is a house of cards." "I'd be surprised if the girl took the stand." "Whatever happened here, it wasn't rape." "This whole thing was a hoax." "Yes, the victim did stage a crime scene." "There was mud and debris on her clothes, face, hair, hands, which supported her initial disclosure that she was raped in Central Park." "Could she have staged the entire rape?" "No." "She lied about where she was attacked, but the scratches and contusions, the choke marks on her neck, the vaginal tearing, the rug burns, those were all real." "Thank you." "Detective Rollins, based on your experience working at special victims, is it possible that the injuries you describe could also have resulted from rough consensual sex?" "Not usually all at once like this, no." "Okay." "What about the rug burns you mentioned?" "Are those indicative of someone in the throes of ecstasy, let's say with two men?" "Objection." "I'm going to allow it." "Yes, it's possible." "Thank you, detective." "That's the victim, Heba Salim, arriving at the offices of Elias Kemp at 12:15 A.M." " And this?" " That's her leaving the offices of Elias Kemp at 1:48 A.M." "An hour and a half later." "Earlier, the jury saw the defendants enter the main lobby at 12:05 A.M. that same night." " That's right." " But when you first questioned" "Mr. Kemp about Ms. Salim, what did he say?" "He lied." "He told us the last time he saw her was at the benefit two hours earlier." "Did he subsequently admit that Heba had been in his office?" "Yes, when we came to his office with a warrant for his DNA." "Thank you." "Detective, when an interview subject lies to you initially, is it harder to trust them going forward?" " Yes." " But didn't the victim in this case lie repeatedly at the outset and make up and stage an entirely false scenario?" "That's right, but given that her brother..." "So she lied to you and fabricated evidence in the past." "Can you be sure she's telling the truth now?" " I believe she is." " You believe." "So it's more about faith than fact?" "Can you see how others might have some doubt?" " Objection." " Withdrawn." "I knew Elias Kemp and Mike Sullivan." "My brother works with them." "They were acting very nice the night of the benefit." "Elias brought me a glass of champagne." " Your first glass ever?" " Yes." "I don't drink." "Around midnight, when I was getting ready to leave," "Elias invited me to an after-party in his office." "He said that I'd have fun and meet new people, so I said yes." "What happened when you got to his office?" "There was no party." "It was just Elias." "He gave me another glass of champagne, said that the others were on their way, and then Mike came in." "And then what happened?" "They locked the door." "Elias pulled off my hijab, pinned my arms behind my back, and started biting my neck." "Mike grabbed my breast." "And you didn't want this?" "No." "I screamed and tried to get away." "But they were very s-strong." "[Quivering] They choked me." "Elias slapped me and told me to shut up." "Then they forced me on my hands and knees." "And between the two of them, they took turns sodomizing me and raping me." "I am sorry to ask, but the medical report shows that you were a virgin when this occurred." "Is that correct?" "Yes." "It was very painful." "They just laughed and high-fived each other." "When they were done, I asked Elias if I could have my hijab back." "So he wiped himself off with it and threw it in the trash." "Thank you." "That is a very disturbing story, Ms. Salim." "Almost as disturbing as the account that you initially gave the police." "In that story, you told the police that they had called you a Muslim bitch and had suggested that you go back to India." "Yes." "None of that actually happened, did it?" "No." "But what happened to me in that office, what they did to me, that's all true." "I see." "So that first night, when you covered yourself with mud and said that you had been raped in the park, then you were lying, but now you are telling the truth?" "Yes." "So when you called it a hate crime, that's when the police believed you, reverend Curtis believed you." "Your parents, your brother, district attorney, even, Barba believed you." "Yes." "So you are a very good liar." " Isn't that right, Ms. Salim?" " Objection, your honor." " He's attacking the witness." " Withdrawn." "I got nothing further." "I'm sorry, but it's not over till it's over, okay?" "Let's go." "Let's get you and Heba home." "Come on." "You happy now?" "Well, it certainly isn't boring." "She was telling the truth in there." "You lack confidence in the wisdom of the jury?" "They all read your columns, Jimmy." "The way you crucified that girl, she was discredited before she even took the stand." "I see." "So she digs herself a hole in the mud in Central Park, your squad falls in, and it's my fault?" "I got my story right." "No, you only got half of it right." "Those two sons of bitches raped her, and now they're gonna walk." "What do you want from me?" "How about a retraction?" "[Laughs] That's funny." "Yeah?" "You said that Heba wasn't raped, and you know that she was." "Jimmy Mac don't retract." "He don't apologize." "He don't explain." "Wow." "So that is it." "The great Jimmy Mac." "It's all gone to your head, hasn't it?" "The awards, the long nights at Elaine's, the celebrity." "Don't forget the Knicks tickets." "It's sad." "You used to be good." "You used to have a conscience." "You're not a reporter anymore, Jimmy." "You're just like them." "[Coughing]" "Hey, by the way, you should think about laying off the sauce." "Hey." "I don't know what you put in Jimmy Mac's drink, but he has seen the light." ""How Jimmy Mac got played."" ""They thought that they'd get away with it" ""because they have money." ""They even used their resources and their hooks at one-p-p to fool this reporter for a while."" "Yeah, it's all in there, how Kemp and Sullivan lured her in, raped her, smeared her rep." "He says NYPD sources played him regarding her rape kit." "Sources?" "Who?" "He didn't name names, he just lobbed a grenade." "Yes, your honor." "I know you instructed us not to read any press, but the headline was right there on the courthouse newsstand." "And you read the entire article?" "Now, I'm not the only one." "A few of us were talking about it." "Terrific." "Who else read Mr. MacArthur's column this morning?" "[Scoffs] Your honor, that column was filled with libelous allegations that are highly prejudicial toward my client." "This jury read several earlier articles that were prejudicial toward the victim, and they were seated on the assurance that they would keep an open mind." "Nice try, Mr. Barba." "That was then, this is now." "The jury, in their wisdom, chose to ignore my explicit instructions." "I have no choice but to declare a mistrial." "[Bangs gavel]" "The state of New York thanks you for your service." "You got time for a cup of coffee?" "So we have a new trial date?" "There won't be a new trial, at least none for Elias." "What, he's throwing his friend under the bus?" "He's given a statement expressing his deep and sincere remorse for the actions of his employee." "So he wasn't there?" "He admits to being present for the assault and has agreed to plead to sexual misconduct." "That's a class "a" misdemeanor." " He'll do what, a year?" " Maybe." "Sullivan goes away for 5 to 15." " They both go on the registry." " And that's the best we can do?" "I mean, Elias was the violent one." "It was his idea." "And he's the first one to the table." "That's how you get the best deal." "And Heba's gonna be okay with this?" "Elias, he may not do any time, but he will have a record." "I mean, it's..." "It's something." "We're sorry, Heba." "But if this went to a second trial, you'd have to go through hell again, and those guys could walk." "I know." "I don't care." "I figured it was all part of the settlement." "Settlement?" "I'm not supposed to talk about it until after Mike Sullivan's trial." "Well, Kemp's people move fast." "So what was their offer?" "No, don't say it like that." "As far as my parents are concerned," "I've already lost my honor." "At least now my brother can go back to school and get his mba." "So here's to justice, huh?" "Nothing new." "The biggest rat always gets the cheese." "It's okay." "Elias is on the wheel now." "How's that?" "My last column for The Ledger." " Last?" " Yeah." "It's about a month in the life of Elias Kemp Jr., how he raped a girl in his office, pinned the rap on his best friend, wrote a check and walked away, while his dad calls my publisher" "and asked to keep his kid's name out of the paper." "Jimmy, you sure you want to run that?" "I already posted it on the web." "Every time that kid's name goes into a search engine, this story will come up." "He can hire all the reputation managers he wants." "He's f..." "He's toast." "Jimmy, hold on." "W-where are you gonna go?" "There aren't that many papers left." "Don't ever cry for Jimmy Mac." "I always land on my feet." "I'm 55 years old, my profession is dying, my ex-wives all hate me, my credit cards are maxed out 'cause I got three kids in college..." "[Coughs]" "And I never felt better in my life." "[Chuckles]" "I said my piece." "And now the whole world knows that I got balls the size of Jupiter again." "Here's to Jupiter." "Oh, yeah." "One more for the road?" "I'll have what he's having."