Bull (2016–…): Season 3, Episode 15 - Security Fraud - full transcript

Okay, ladies,
this is the only cover-up

you will ever need.
It is absolutely magical.

And how much
does this magic cost?

Well, if you ask me,
it's priceless, but for you, $29.99.

Renewable every other month.

Ooh, can you hold this?

Ma'am.

Marshals, is there... is there
something I can do for you?

Your daughter home?

No. She's at school. Why?

We're gonna need to swing by
and pick her up.



Can I get my purse?

Just your purse. We'll come back
and close everything up.

Sherri, is everything all right?
I don't know.

- But are you coming back?
- I don't know.

Well, can I still buy this?

Is he here yet?

Not yet. I just...

I need to make you aware
of something.

Unless it has to do
with Walter Franklin,

I don't want to hear about it.

Well, it sort of does.

Uh, Taylor needed to bring
her son with her to work today.

The heat was out

at her day care and...



Walter Franklin is coming.

I know Walter Franklin
is coming. It'll be fine.

Man's of a
certain age,

I'm sure he's met lots
of children in his lifetime.

- Little help?
- Sorry.

Wha...?

- Did I miss him?
- Uh, he's not here yet.

Does, um, anybody
have a Sharpie?

No. We are not having him
sign books.

But-but they're his.
He-he wrote them.

He is not here to entertain us.
He's a client.

And one of the great legal minds
of the late 20th century.

And Bull's hero. Mine, too.

Any idea what he wants?

None.
Just that he wants to meet.

He has a case
he wants me to consider.

I'm jealous.

Mm. I won't lie, it's a bit
like having Babe Ruth

- ask you to pitch to him.
- Mm.

They just called from the lobby.
He's on his way up.

Dr. Jason Bull,
I presume?

Oh, my mistake.

The folks at my firm said
you were younger than I

and better looking.
I went with my gut.

Mr. Franklin, it's an honor.

You remember the
Arrowsure Corporation?

The gigantic Ponzi scheme
that they had

that the feds took down
a few years ago in Chicago?

How could we not?

100,000 people lost
their savings.

The Madoff of the Midwest.

You remember
Anthony Gibson?

The mid-level accountant
that testified against

the upper-level executives
in the trial?

Of course.
Didn't you represent him?

I did.
And now I represent his wife.

As part of Anthony's plea deal,

and in return for testifying
against his bosses,

he and his family were put into
the Witness Protection Program.

Moved from Chicago, Illinois
to Poughkeepsie, New York.

Got a job in the
Highway Department.

Two weeks ago, he was shot and
killed at 1:00 in the afternoon

by a car driving through
his toll booth

on Highway 11.

Mrs. Gibson intends to sue
the U.S. government

for wrongful death.

The U.S. government.
Yeah, I've heard of them.

You sure you don't want to
pick on someone your own size?

Well, that's where you come in.

Mrs. Gibson is a
tough customer.

She's got enough anger for a
dozen lawsuits, and rightly so.

She wants somebody to pay for
what happened to her husband.

But you're worried jurors
might not sympathize

with Ruth Madoff.

Bingo. Guilt by association.

And of course,
the irony is,

he was one of the good guys,
a working stiff,

one of 300 accountants,
just a guy making a living.

But when the government came in

and asked if anyone would
step up and testify against

these ghouls who were
robbing the public blind,

he was the one fellow

who cleared his throat
and said yes.

Felt it was his obligation.
Felt it was his civic duty.

I get it, but I'm not sure
everyone will.

It's not gonna be an easy sell.

People hear you work
for Arrowsure Corp...

I know.

I assume this is
a contingency case?

You really need
the cash up front?

Look at this place.

Looks like somebody went to Best
Buy for dinner and threw up.

Come on, get a look
at this face.

Don't you want to go
into business with this?

Come on. Come with me,

we'll visit the lady
and her daughter.

Do some good with your life.
Earn yourself some good karma.

My husband agreed to testify

because they promised him

that him and his family
would be safe.

The government
made their case

on my husband's back

and then they just basically
left him for dead.

How the hell am I
supposed to know

that my daughter and I are safe
when that could happen?!

You know what?

I just need compensation
from the government

to get me out of this country.
That's it.

Just get me out of this country,
move someplace

where everybody and his uncle
doesn't have a gun,

so that me and my daughter
can start over. That's it.

And that's what I'm here
to try and help you do,

but take my word for it, you go
in there and demand anything

from a jury,

insult the country
they call home,

and they are gonna be only
too happy to exact revenge

on behalf of the friends
and relatives

who lost everything to the
company your husband worked for.

But, you put away that anger,

and you go in
and present yourself

as the victim
you actually are...

The concerned mother,
the grieving widow...

And you might just get
what you want.

Walter, who is this guy?

I... I don't like him.

Give us a minute, will you.

Who's in there?

Daughter. Tiffany. 15.

Tiffany, my name's
Dr. Jason Bull.

I'm part of your mother's
legal team,

at least for the time being.

You think you and I could talk
for a second?

You're not getting in that way.

You have to climb through.

What can I do
for you, sir?

You're not here to take us
someplace else...

are you?

Maybe this wasn't
such a good idea.

Sorry I dragged you
out here.

Sorry I wasted
your time.

You talked to the daughter?

Said hello.

If you ask me, we're repping
the wrong plaintiff.

That 15-year-old girl,

she's your case.

Father turns state's evidence

and suddenly she's yanked out of
the middle of the eighth grade

and her life in Chicago
and dropped into a small town

in New York
where she knows no one?

14 months later,
in a single conversation,

she's told
her father's been killed

and she has
to move again to a motel.

Cut off all contact
with everyone she knows

for the second time in her life?

The government that promised her
a safe, new home

in return for her
father's bravery

has delivered only death,
disruption and heartbreak.

And what about Sherri?
What about the mother?

My opinion?

I wouldn't let her within
100 miles of the courthouse.

*BULL (2016)*
Season 03 Episode 15

*BULL (2016)*
Episode Title: "Security Fraud"

I need a lawyer.

Oh, all right.

Well, I charge by the
quarter hour, starting... now.

I'm doing some legal legwork
for Bull

and this case he's working on
with Walter Franklin.

Yeah, I'm still jealous.
Yeah, and it turns out,

the government claims
there's no negligence.

They say it has
no relationship

to the case for which
Anthony testified

and they're not responsible
if some random person

shoots a witness in WITSEC,
which is...

Appears some fancy new acronym
for Witness Protection.

Think about it,

if someone shoots up
a movie theater

and a witness
in WITSEC is in there,

that's not their fault.

So-so we need to prove that
the killing was in retribution

for Anthony's testimony

and not just
some random shooting.

My bill is in the mail.

My man.

Guys, so I studied
the case files last night,

and whoever was trying
to kill Anthony Gibson

wasn't exactly a great shot.

What do you mean?
He killed the man, didn't he?

But the ballistics report
says the bullet actually missed.

It hit the side of the
tollbooth, then ricocheted.

That's when it pierced
the victim's chest.

I think the net-net
is still the same.

Anthony Gibson is no longer
spending time with his family.

Yeah, well, I'm on my way
to speak with the marshal

who was in charge
of Anthony's protection.

See what he
has to say.

You should probably call
the big guy at the courthouse.

Tell him the government
doesn't think we have a case.

You don't want me
in the courtroom?

I want you to succeed.
I want you to prevail.

I'm telling you
how to do it.

I told you
I don't like this guy.

Well, I do.
He speaks the truth.

You're a great wife,
you're a great mother,

but I'm afraid that you're
a lousy spokesperson

for your own cause.

We're both prepared
to walk away over this.

Honey, do you think
you're capable of this?

What-what do I have to do?

Aside from sitting at the table,
we'll need you to testify.

Come in.

Do you mind?

Chunk? What's so important?
I got to go into court.

I'm not hearing anything
like that on this end.

We just received a motion
to dismiss from the government.

They're claiming
sovereign immunity.

Forget what I said. Got to go.

What's sovereign immunity?

It's a legal principle
that states

you can't sue the government
without its consent.

That doesn't seem very fair.

Yeah. Right. I mean,
I-it seems like people

are suing the government
all the time.

Well, there are loopholes.

We just have to find one
that applies to our case.

That is, if we're going ahead
with our case.

And furthermore, Your Honor,
suing the government

will cause the taxpayers an
unnecessary financial burden.

Your Honor,
may I remind the court

of an exception to sovereign
immunity under the Bivens Act,

which states that a private
citizen may sue the government

when their constitutional rights
have been violated

by the government's own conduct?

In this case,
they violated

Anthony Gibson's
constitutional right to live.

And they did this by not
assigning more security to him

or his family
when he explicitly requested it.

No, no, no, no, no.

The Bivens exception
requires intent,

which means the government
would have had to knowingly

put Anthony Gibson
in the line of fire.

The plaintiff

is arguing negligence,
which implies

benign neglect as opposed to
a willful dereliction of duty.

Therefore,
Bivens does apply in this case.

Mr. Franklin,

I do have to agree
with Ms. Murphy on this one.

Brace for impact.

I'm sensing this
all might be over

before it ever really begins.

Your Honor, I take your point,

and I-I understand
Ms. Murphy's as well.

Uh, but...

I need to call your attention
to the fact that in addition

to violating Anthony Gibson's
constitutional rights,

we are arguing
breach of contract.

And therefore, I need to draw
the court's attention

to the Graves Act of 1812,

which states very clearly
that when the government

enters into a contract
with a private citizen...

The contract
in this case would be

the Witness Protection
agreement... and the government

does not fulfill their end
of the agreement,

then that private citizen
has the right to sue.

By not protecting

Anthony Gibson, the government
is in breach of its contract.

Yes.

The Graves Act of 1812.

I concur with your reasoning,
Mr. Franklin.

And in light of this,

the motion to dismiss is denied.

We will reconvene this afternoon
to select our jury.

I know you're too young
to understand,

but you just witnessed
an amazing piece of lawyering.

Okay.

If you say so.

I got to ask, where'd you pull
the Graves Act of 1812 from?

I've never heard of that.

One of the perks of being
the oldest guy in the room,

- you've lived through more stuff.
- Uh-huh.

Hey, come on. Anybody hungry?
Want to get some lunch?

I-I know a pizza place
on Spring Street,

knock your socks off.
Best pie in the city.

What do you think,
Tiffany?

I'm from Chicago.

I think my socks are staying
right where they are.

So I understand
that you were the marshal

supervising
Anthony Gibson's relocation

and acclimation here
in Poughkeepsie.

Yeah. So what is it
that you need to know?

Well, I'm gathering Anthony
spent a lot of time

in your office
the last few months of his life.

I'd love to know
what you guys talked about,

the nature of his fears
and concerns.

What he might have said
about whoever was following him.

Look, the truth is,

Anthony and I only met
a few times since he got here.

Really?

I was under the impression
that he sat down with you

a couple of times a month,
pleading for more protection.

Again, I think I sat with him
three times total.

And yes, he certainly did
ask for more security.

But in the absence
of a specific threat,

the WITSEC protocol
really discourages it.

- Why is that?
- Because almost all the people

placed in WITSEC get paranoid
their first year in the program.

I mean, they just do.

And I know that sounds pretty
weak given what happened to him.

But I honestly
don't think

it had anything to
do with testifying

against
the Arrowsure Corporation.

You know, there are a
lot of nuts out there.

And every so often,
one of them wakes up

and says to him or herself,

"I just feel like
shooting someone today."

Okay, then.

All the more reason.

Why would you put the guy
in a tollbooth?

In a big glass box?

Because it is our job

to integrate witnesses
into a new community.

To create new identities
for them, not hide them.

We get them jobs at the mall,
the movie theater,

the family restaurant.

The idea is they're hiding
in plain sight.

You talked to the FBI?

No. Should I?

I don't know.

The last time I told him
I couldn't put more manpower

on his account, he told me
he was gonna talk to the FBI.

Just a thought.

He was a hero.
You know?

Your dad?

He didn't have
to do what he did.

He got nothing for it.

In fact, he lost a lot.

He just felt it was
the right thing to do.

Should I change the subject?

No, I just...

I'll be right back.

You want to talk shop?

Good pie, huh?

This is gonna be
a tricky voir dire.

You're the jury whisperer.

So, while you are asking
the questions,

my team will be
back in the office.

They'll be giving me information
in my ear as to whether

or not
we want that juror.

Now, before you accept
or dismiss anybody,

I want you to look at me

and I will give you
the signal

whether we keep
or cut the juror,

and I will nod yes
or shake my head no.

- Mm-hmm?
- "Yes, no." Got it.

So, let me ask you something.

Do you trust the government?

Is that really
the question you gave him?

Seems a bit on the nose.

No. He's freestyling.

But he's Walter
freakin' Franklin.

I got to believe
he knows what he's doing.

I don't know.

Does anyone trust
the government?

Well, it may have been
on the nose,

but it got us
the answer we needed.

How's it looking on your end?

All systems go on my end.

The plaintiff would like to
dismiss this juror, Your Honor.

I-I thought we wanted
that juror.

We did.

I'm confused.
Why did we let that juror go?

She clearly doesn't
trust the government.

She was exactly
what we're looking for.

Oh, I didn't like her.

Relax. There's plenty more
where she came from.

Gentlemen,
it's gonna be a long day.

Good afternoon, sir.

Good afternoon.

So you've been going to this
one restaurant for a long time...

Years... and one day,
you go in there,

you have a delicious meal,
and, uh,

shortly thereafter,
you get food poisoning.

Are you gonna go back
to this restaurant?

No. I don't think so.

This juror owns
a security service

and donates to police unions.

He's the opposite
of the juror we want.

Your Honor,

this juror is acceptable
to the plaintiff.

What is he doing?

Walter, may I speak with
you privately for a moment?

Of course.

Yeah. Tiffany...

So what the hell
happened in there?

Why didn't you look at me
like we talked about?

What do you mean?
What did we talk about?

The signals. You ignored them.

You picked precisely
the wrong jury.

Precisely the wrong jury?

Seriously, Jason?
Come on.

Aren't we being
a little bit dramatic?

I've been doing this
almost half a century.

I think I know
how to pick a jury.

You hungry? Come on.

I know this pizza place
over on Spring Street,

knock your socks off.

Walter, we just had pizza
a few hours ago.

Okay, then, you pick a place.

You know,
I got to talk to someone

back at the office
about something.

Why don't you take Tiffany
and grab dinner without me?

Tiffany.

Sounds like a plan.

Before you make
that call...

Look at me.

I'm looking.

Do I look like a fool?

What are we talking about?

You know what
we're talking about.

There is no Graves Act of 1812.

You and Franklin made it up.

- We did?
- You did.

I'm informing the judge
tomorrow morning, and I expect

that the case will be thrown out
shortly thereafter.

Have a nice evening, Dr. Bull.

Good day today,
I thought.

Oh...

It was as if someone
had lowered a window shade

in front of his eyes and he
couldn't see clearly anymore.

He didn't remember me explaining
how voir dire would work,

didn't remember

taking me to that pizza place.

All of which is sad.

A great mind like that, but...

inventing
the Graves Act of 1812?

I mean, what are you gonna do?

I don't know.

Which do I worry about first?

The man? The case?

I don't even know
who to reach out to.

His family?

Does he even have a family?

I'll get Danny working on that.

But in the meantime, how do you
want to proceed with the case?

As soon as that judge
realizes she's been conned,

she's gonna be
all over you tomorrow.

I need a favor.

I need you to assume
the role of standby counsel

and prepare for this trial
as if it were your own.

You need to be ready

to take over and cover
for Walter at a moment's notice.

I may have found something
that can help us.

A time machine?

Kind of.

I'm taking it back
to the 19th century, though.

Uh, the Tucker Act of 1887.

It has similar principles
to those

that were asserted
in court today.

It's not
an exact match,

but it's close.

You just get Mr. Franklin to
tell the judge that, you know,

he had the right century
but the wrong act.

I assure you, Your Honor, I did
not intend to mislead the court,

I simply misspoke.

And if you will look at
the Tucker Act of 1887,

you will see that virtually
the same principles apply.

For you, Walter, I'm gonna
let this slide.

But just know I'll have my eye
on you for the rest of the trial.

We live to fight
another day.

With one hand tied
behind our back.

See, I told you we had
nothing to worry about.

What, me worry?

Yeah, say what you will.

You don't have as good a
poker face as you think you do.

You ever miss it?

Being part of something
bigger than yourself?

The meager salary,

getting abused daily
on Twitter.

Twitter stuff didn't happen
when I was here.

Oh.

Well, you left
before it got fun.

Story of my life.

So, listen, Agent Stokes,

I, uh, I hear you met
with Anthony Gibson

about a month
before he died.

Can you tell me
what that was about?

What?

Well, it's just, you know,

I would like to
tell you about it,

but, uh, the Bureau's
got its rules.

- You know?
- Hmm.

Well, listen,
agent to agent,

I know I'm putting you
in a tough position.

I just... I need
something to go on.

I need to use the john.

Feel free to show yourself out.

My father absolutely
followed protocol.

He called the marshals
every time he felt threatened.

You know, I-I watched.

I heard him.

And how often would this happen?

In the last couple months
of his life?

Uh... all the time.

And how would you describe your
relationship with your father?

Objection. Relevance.

Your Honor, part
of the reason we're here

is to assess the impact
and to put a value

on the life of a man
who's no longer with us

because of
what we believe

to be gross dereliction
of responsibility by

the United States government.

What could be more relevant,
more valuable to this jury

than to hear the man's daughter

talk about
what her father meant to her?

This guy's really good.

Maybe I overreacted.

Objection overruled.

You may answer the question.

How do I explain this to you?

My father...

was like the sun.

Yeah.

You know,
every day, you got up,

and every day, he was there.

Like, some days were-were cloudy

because he had something on,
on his mind, like a...

a work thing,
or a family thing,

but every day...

he was there.

You know, just peeking through
so you could feel him.

You know,
letting you know that...

you-you could depend on him.

You know, and if you...

if you needed something,
it didn't, it didn't matter

what else
was going on. He...

He would, he would find a way
to get to you.

To-to-to me.

You know, and now...

it's like,
I-I wake up, and...

there is no sun.

No further questions,
Your Honor.

What is that rustling sound?

Is that the sound of you trying
to reach over your own shoulder

to pat yourself
on the back for deciding

to make this case
about the daughter?

Busted.

Ms. Gibson,

you keep insisting that
your father followed protocol.

Well, he did. So,

you're saying
he called the Marshals office

whenever he was supposed to?

Whenever he was worried?

Whenever...

he was contemplating
doing something

that might jeopardize
his new identity,

his family's new
identity?

Yes, of course.

So, did he call the marshals

when he went back to
your hometown of Chicago

- 11 weeks ago?
- Objection, Your Honor.

On what grounds?

Overruled.

Continue, Counselor.
I want to hear this.

I-I was the one
who went to Chicago.

I missed my boyfriend.

I-I-I missed everything.

I took a train.

And when my dad found out,
he got in his car

to try and beat me there
and bring me back, because

he knew that I made a mistake.
Like...

he knew
that I might be in danger.

He wasn't...
He...

He was trying to protect me.

He wasn't trying to hide
anything from the marshals.

I mean...

He was,
but it wasn't about him.

It was about-about me.

He-he didn't want me to get
in trouble with the government.

So,

your father did drive
to Chicago?

Yes.

So if we're talking
breach of contract here,

is there any bigger breach
of contract

than someone in WITSEC going
back to their former life?

Objection, Your Honor.
Counsel is testifying.

Sustained. Jury will disregard.

Oh, Bull.

Things are starting
to go the other way.

Let's be honest.

The marshals didn't put
your father's life in danger,

did they?

You did. Objection!
Your Honor.

Sustained.

Jury will disregard.

No, they won't.

Withdrawn.

No further questions,
Your Honor.

How could she have not told us
about that trip to Chicago?

I know she's a kid,
but still.

She never even told her
mother. She's ashamed.

It's written all over her face.

She made a horrible mistake.

Now she's convinced herself
that's the reason,

she's the reason
her father's dead.

I know it didn't go exactly the
way we wanted today, but still,

you were mighty impressive
in court.

Hear, hear.

Yeah. That and a bus token
will get us on a bus.

Important thing is
that we prevail.

Hey, I'm hungry. You guys want
to get some pizza? Huh?

I know this pizza place
over on Spring Street,

knock your
socks off.

Best pie
in the city.

We have to find a way to prove
that Anthony's killing

had nothing to do
with that trip to Chicago.

We have to find a way to lay
this back at the marshals' feet.

Danny, that's your cue.

So, remember I told you

how when I interviewed
the FBI agent

that Anthony was talking to,

he practically
handed me his file

on a guy named
"Ted Morris"?

Turns out Ted Morris was

the pension fund administrator
for the Contractors Union.

And as it happened,
he invested

the entire pension fund
in the Arrowsure Corporation.

For which he apparently received
some very sizable kickbacks.

Okay.

How did Anthony figure
into all this?

Well, as an accountant
at Arrowsure Corporation,

the Contractors Union pension
account fell under his purview.

Wait. You mean Anthony Gibson
was in charge of these accounts?

Mm-hmm, and it turns out
that the FBI was in the process

of building a case
against Ted Morris,

and I'm guessing
they wanted Anthony to testify.

Jackpot.
So if you're Ted Morris,

and you know the government
has access to the only guy

who can prove
you weren't acting

in your union's best interest
when you invested their funds,

you'd be only too happy to see
that man meet an untimely end.

Now we're getting somewhere.

What do you think, Walter?

Should we wake him?

No. No, you guys can head out
as soon as you're done.

I'll... I'll get him home.

How long was I asleep?

I don't know.

Hour and a half,
two hours.

I'm starting
to make you nervous, aren't I?

I know you're upset with me
about jury selection, and...

I know you're starting to
wonder if I can pull my weight

when it comes time
to call witnesses,

elicit testimony,

cross-examine,
all that sort of thing.

But I assure you,

there is nobody better
on their feet than me.

Nobody.

Walter...

you are my hero.

But the simple truth is,

we already started
calling witnesses,

eliciting testimony.

All of it.

And you did it.

You were masterful.

But the fact that you don't
remember doing it...

Oh, I remember it.
I remember!

I do... now.

Walter.

I need Benny to take the lead
tomorrow in court.

I'm sorry,
but that little girl's future,

that family's future...

It depends
on us getting this right.

You okay?

I'm fine.

You got a cigarette?

No, I don't smoke.

Do you?

I don't know. It depends
on what year this is.

Damn! I hate getting old!

This is you.

I know.

I'm sorry.

You have nothing
to be sorry for.

See you in the morning.

I'll see you in the morning.

Don't go yet.
I want to make sure he gets inside.

Okay.

Dr. Bull?
Hey.

Glad I caught you.

What's so urgent?

The ballistics results
just came back

on the bullet
that killed Anthony Gibson.

And?

And it matches bullets
used in a gang shooting

in Chicago just over a year ago.

I don't understand.

Well, that gun was
never recovered.

And it appears to have been used
in this killing.

And the defense
is gonna use that

to tie Anthony's trip
to Chicago to his death.

Anthony drove to Chicago,
somebody saw him in Chicago,

the gun came from Chicago.

If Anthony had played
by the rules,

he'd still be alive today.

Everybody's off the hook.

The defense calls
Gerald Montgomery to the stand.

Please, state your relationship
to the Gibson family.

We, uh, lived down
the block from them.

My, uh, son Brian and
the Gibsons' daughter Tiffany

dated for about five months.

And when was
the last time

your son and Tiffany
saw each other?

Apparently, 11 weeks ago.

What do you mean, "apparently"?

Well, I was
told that, uh,

Tiffany snuck into our home,

though truthfully,
I-I never saw her.

Objection. Hearsay.

Sustained. Jury will disregard.

So when was it

that you heard
about Tiffany's visit?

When I opened my front door
and I saw her father,

Anthony Gibson, standing there.

Mr. Gibson was

at your front door
in suburban Chicago?

He certainly was.

And were you surprised
to see him?

Stunned.
And I told him so, loudly.

What do you mean?
What-what exactly did you say?

I told him I thought he was
a reprehensible human being.

I told him
that I had personally lost

almost all my money
on Arrowsure

and their
Ponzi nonsense,

and now I was gonna have
to start all over from nothing,

after working my entire life
to get to where I was.

And how did he react?

Well, he didn't,
he-he just kept asking me

if I knew where
his daughter was.

And did you?

At that point, no,
but even if I had,

I don't think
I would have told him.

I was so angry.

I mean, to me, he got off light.

I... He got to live his life,

he got to go into the Witness
Protection Program, and...

and meanwhile, like, a...
a quarter of his neighborhood

was flat on its ass.

You know, no savings,
no retirement.

No nothing.

The neighborhood
where you were publicly having

this loud conversation
with Anthony Gibson?

Yes. On my stoop.

And I'm sure
the whole damn block heard.

And couldn't any of these
neighbors have followed.

Mr. Gibson back
to Poughkeepsie that night?

Objection. Your Honor,
please.

This is pure speculation.

Sustained.

Jury will ignore the question.

We will reconvene
this afternoon.

The only problem is,

our jurors just don't
have anywhere to put

their empathy for Tiffany.

Her father broke the rules.

And they believe
that's the reason he's dead,

not because of some failure
on the marshals' part.

It really is as simple as that,
isn't it?

I'm afraid so.

So here's a weird one. I just
got back from FBI headquarters.

I wanted to look into
the gang shooting

where ballistics matched
the bullet that killed Anthony,

and guess who was the lead agent
on that case?

Remember the FBI agent
I visited?

Timothy Stokes.

The same Timothy Stokes
who was meeting with Anthony?

The one and only.
And according to the case file,

the gun wasrecovered
in the shooting,

which makes me think that Stokes
held onto it for a rainy day.

So you think Stokes
was an inside man

working for Ted Morris?

I think he's shady all right,
but if anything,

Stokes has a reputation
for being too aggressive

in making his cases,
not throwing them away.

He's got about a dozen
complaints filed against him

for bullying
potential witnesses,

trying to force them to testify,
trying to get them to testify

to things that they're not even
completely comfortable with.

And we know Stokes
was meeting with Anthony

about the Contractors Union
case,

trying to get him to testify

to what he knew about
their accounts and kickbacks.

And a case that could
single-handedly

make this man's career.

Which is why this whole thing
doesn't make any sense.

I mean, why would Stokes want
to have his key witness shot?

A dead witness can't testify.

Crazy thought: you say that
the ballistics report indicated

that the bullet ricocheted
in the tollbooth

before it hit Anthony?

Yeah.

What if he wasn't trying
to kill him at all?

What if he was just trying
to scare him?

Your Honor,

the plaintiff would like
to call a rebuttal witness,

we would like to call.

Agent Timothy Stokes.

Your Honor, this is the first

the defense is hearing
of this witness.

My apologies,
Your Honor, we just

recently learned that Mr. Stokes
had relevant information.

Relevant information, huh?

Well, I guess
we'll all find out together.

You know this
is your witness, don't you?

I'm not sure that's
such a good idea.

Well, your theory,
your witness.

I'm not sacrificing
my guy over some nonsense

you pulled out of your backside
at the last minute.

How do I know this isn't
another Graves Act of 1812?

Your theory, your witness.

Agent Stokes,

thank you for rushing in here
at the last minute.

Not a problem.

Now, you had
a series of meetings

with my client's father,
Anthony Gibson,

in the month before he died,
didn't you?

I did.

You, in fact,

wanted him to testify
against the Contractors Union

in a case you were
investigating.

- Is that correct?
- That is correct.

You wanted him to be your key
witness, in fact, didn't you?

Well, I wanted him
to be awitness.

But yes, I wanted his testimony.
Yes.

But he didn't want
to testify, did he?

He was weighing
his options.

What do you think?

I think he's Walter
freakin' Franklin.

And if anybody deserves
his day in court, it's him.

And you were helping him to
weigh his options, weren't you?

That's my job.

And how do you do that?

Have a conversation.

Try to convince the other party
that they have a civic duty

to share what
they know.

Having a conversation.

Sounds so civilized.

Well, it is.

If you say so,
Agent Stokes,

because I'm looking at a copy
of your personnel file,

and according to this,
you've been disciplined

for bullying witnesses four
times in the last ten years.

You spend a long enough time
in law enforcement,

you're gonna upset people.

If there had been
any truth to those charges,

I would've been dismissed
from the Bureau a long time ago.

Okay, I hear that.
But what possible reason

would people have for filing
false complaints against you?

You were the one who was
following Anthony Gibson

in the months leading up
to his death,

weren't you, Agent Stokes?

You were trying
to intimidate him.

Objection.

Badgering.

Sustained.
The jury will disregard.

Mr. Franklin's
last statement.

Tread lightly, Counselor.

Have no fear, Your Honor,

my feet will never
touch the ground.

Now, how often
did you say

you sought out Mr. Gibson?

I don't know if I ever put
a number to it.

Maybe two or three times.

Two or three?

I would like
to enter into evidence

these cell phone records

derived from multiple
Poughkeepsie cell phone towers.

And here you will find proof of
exactly how often Agent Stokes,

an agent who is based
in New York City,

some 70 miles away,
wasin Poughkeepsie,

stalking his prey,
his cell phone pinging away.

So entered.

17 days, by the way, 17 days,

and, most interestingly,

you'll find that Agent
Stokes's phone pinged

against the tower
on five dates

when Anthony Gibson
called in complaints

to the Marshals office
about being followed...

October 5, October 6,
October 10, October 15,

- October 17...
- That doesn't

prove anything.

I have business
all over this region.

Just because I might
have passed through.

- Poughkeepsie...
- Oh, well, did you

pass through Poughkeepsie
on the day Anthony Gibson died?

Because your phone pinged
in Poughkeepsie that day, too.

Right off the tower

by the tollbooths.

Could it be

because you had something to do
with Anthony Gibson's death?

No. Of course not.

Why would I want to kill
my own witness?

A guy who I wanted
to testify for me.

Of course.
Makes no sense.

Here it comes.

You're a trained FBI agent.

It's a
three-foot-by-three-foot box.

You could have hit him
directly between the eyes

- if you wanted to.
- Exactly.

Too bad the bullet ricocheted

and you accidentally killed him.

Nice.

Smooth.

Poor guy. Doesn't
even know what hit him.

I get the feeling this Walter
fellow has done this before.

Walter, at the risk
of sounding like a sycophant,

it was an honor
to watch you work.

Tell me more.

Well,

this will be forever in
my memory banks, Mr. Franklin.

Well, in all seriousness,

I've had my good moments
and my bad moments.

I think we all know...

I think it's...

time
for me to hang it up.

But I want to
thank you both

for keeping me from embarrassing
myself on the way out.

Thanks for letting us
be a part of it.

It's pretty great.

And now let's go be
professionals

and congratulate our clients.

Mrs. Gibson.

Ms. Gibson.

It's been a pleasure
to represent you.

Hey, anybody hungry?

I know a pizza place
over on Spring Street,

knock your socks off.

Sync corrections by srjanapala