Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Can't Be Held Accountable (2019)

Paul Ben-Victor: Counselor Peter Abrams

Photos 

Quotes 

• Judge Felicia Catano : Mr. Getz, you're charged with rape in the first degree, forcible touching, and patronizing a prostitute. How do you plead?

  Counselor Peter Abrams : Not guilty, Your Honor.

  Judge Felicia Catano : People on bail?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Remand, Your Honor. Mr. Getz owns private jets and has residences around the globe. He is the definition of a flight risk.

  Counselor Peter Abrams : He has no priors. He's a respected philanthropist and businessman.

  Detective Frank Bucci : [watching in the gallery]  Oh, please, G...

  Amanda Rollins : [shushing him]  Frank, easy.

  Counselor Peter Abrams : He has strong ties to the community.

  Judge Felicia Catano : Save it, counselor. The charges are serious. The means to flee are very real. I'm granting People's request for remand.

  Counselor Peter Abrams : Your Honor, my client's safety is at risk in prison. We will provide 'round the clock security for home detention.

  Judge Felicia Catano : He's worried about his safety? He can be put in protective custody until trial.

• Steve Getz : What is this, neighbors complaining about my parties?

  Olivia Benson : Well, it's more like the neighbors worried about your guests. Young teenage girls, coming and going at all hours?

  Steve Getz : You know who I am. I run a modeling agency.

  Olivia Benson : Oh, so they were modeling. Really? At 2:00 a.m.?

  Counselor Peter Abrams : Well, sometimes they're guests at company parties. These young models all have parental permission. They're contracted employees on a payroll. We follow all state-mandated working conditions.

  Odafin Tutuola : Then why does he pay 'em cash and give gifts?

  Steve Getz : That's my fault. I like to give my young ones a little something extra. Their parents cash their checks. It's just my way of making sure that the girls have nice things.

  Counselor Peter Abrams : He can gift up to 15K a year. You want to charge him with generosity? Why is my client even here?

  Olivia Benson : Because we've been talking to several girls who "work" for Mr. Getz, and one of whom was asked to bring her 12-year-old sister to the party.

  Steve Getz : Yes, they all told me. They're very loyal. What I tell them: jealousy is the thief of joy. Whoever's complaining just wishes they were me. Even for just a day.

  Counselor Peter Abrams : Thanks for confirming what we suspected. You have nothing. You can stop hanging around urinals. My client won't be speaking to you again.

  Steve Getz : And by the way... Ivy's a great kid. I'm not gonna hold this against her. But you might want to think twice about using her as a battering ram. Her father's a drunk ex-cop who shoots from the hip flask. He's in such a deep hole, he sent his sister to shake us down.

  Odafin Tutuola : [watching them leave]  So much for his Boyd Cycle.

  Olivia Benson : The good news? They're not on to Kat.

  Amanda Rollins : [entering with a knock]  Hey. I just got a call from the 116 in Forest Hills. Frank Bucci had some kind of accident. He's in bad shape. EMTs are taking him to Queens General.

• Counselor Peter Abrams : Counselor. No hard feelings, huh? Listen, Mr. Getz would like you to join us at his victory party on his yacht.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : This isn't over, Mr. Abrams. Not by a long shot.

• Detective Frank Bucci : Your Honor, lock this predator up and throw away the key. I pray what he did to my daughters, he doesn't do to anyone else.

  Judge Ellery : Thank you, Mr. Bucci, for your moving words. That being said, many aspects of this case give me pause. The defendant had no way of knowing Ivy Bucci's age. She provided a fake ID.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Ignorance of age is no excuse under the law, Your Honor.

  Judge Ellery : She was paid thousands of dollars, along with being gifted cell phones, designer clothing, an Uber account...

  Vanessa Hadid : Your Honor, we've agreed to a plea.

  Judge Ellery : And I'm revisiting that plea. After reviewing the case file, I don't see criminal sexual acts here.

  Olivia Benson : [watching from the gallery]  Oh, my god.

  Judge Ellery : I see consensual sexual activity.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Again, Your Honor, she's under the age of consent.

  Detective Frank Bucci : What? She's just a kid, Your Honor. He raped her!

  Amanda Rollins : [quietly]  Frank.

  Judge Ellery : Enough, Mr. Bucci. I don't want to hold you in contempt. This girl made her own choice. If a 15-year-old has the constitutional right to an abortion without parental approval, how should she not also have the constitutional right to consensual sex? I'm dismissing the top charges of rape and forcible touching. The case can move forward on the prostitution charge.

  Counselor Peter Abrams : We plead guilty to that Your Honor.

  Vanessa Hadid : The D.A.'s office strongly objects.

  Judge Ellery : And your objection is on the record. Mr. Getz, I sentence you to time served. You're free to go.

• Counselor Peter Abrams : Listen, Steve, um... he doesn't see himself as a rapist. He's not gonna plea to that. But if I could sell him on, say, criminal sexual act? That's four years. Puts him on the registry.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Yeah, no. He rapes these girls.

  Counselor Peter Abrams : This would also spare that poor girl, her family, from testifying. We both know her father isn't exactly stable.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Well, I appreciate your concern, Mr. Abrams. I'll have to run that by my boss.

  Counselor Peter Abrams : She's already heard. I headed up a firm with her boss a few years back, but I'll be in touch.

• Counselor Peter Abrams : [leaving the arraignment]  Counselor, nice work in there. How long have you been with the D.A.'s office now?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : How can I help you, Mr. Abrams?

  Counselor Peter Abrams : Better: how can we help each other? You've got one complaining witness.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Yeah, for now, but your client's insatiable. After the indictment, there's gonna be a line of girls from my office to the Battery.

  Counselor Peter Abrams : All with their hand out.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Can you blame 'em? We're still combing through all the stuff we found at his townhouse, but we already have explicit videos and photos of underage girls.

  Counselor Peter Abrams : I hear you, Mr. Carisi. Listen, my client's a sick man. He's in denial, still thinking this could all go away.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Well, it won't. It's already on the front page of every newspaper. "Billionaire pedophile." Now, jurors don't like either of those two words on their own, but you put 'em together...

  Counselor Peter Abrams : Let me talk to him. I know Steve, and after a night or two at Rikers...

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Already looking for a plea? Not likely.

• Steve Getz : All right, let's get this party started.

  Olivia Benson : Hold up. NYPD.

  Steve Getz : Captain Benson. I don't think you're on the guest list.

  Olivia Benson : No, but Milly and Ivy are, and we need to speak with them.

  Granya Marcil : The girls are fine.

  Odafin Tutuola : Why don't you let them tell us that?

  Steve Getz : That's a great idea. Milly, Ivy! Say hi! As you can see, safe and sound.

  Olivia Benson : You're really doing this, huh? Two underage girls on your boat, without parental permission? Really?

  Steve Getz : Oh, they have permission. Donna Bucci? Meet our friends from SVU. Let them know you granted permission.

  Donna Bucci : Oh, hi! I'm their mom. I gave permission. And I'll be supervising.

  Counselor Peter Abrams : Does that check all the boxes, Captain?

  Steve Getz : Let's sail.

  [getting on board] 

  Steve Getz : Congressman.

  Odafin Tutuola : We got to get this guy.

  Olivia Benson : Make sure Detective Bucci knows that this ain't over.