Bull (2016) s03e16 Episode Script
Forfeiture
1 Smooth as silk.
Ooh.
Feels nice.
Yeah, you-you like that? You know, that's, uh, my shaving butter right there.
- Oh, yeah? - Yeah, man.
I make it myself.
It's $12 a jar, two for $20.
No, just the cut and the shave today, man.
All right.
Maybe next time.
- Yo, Grandpa? - Hmm? Go home, man.
Get out of here.
I'll close up.
Uh, uh, it's okay.
I-I got this.
You've been staying late a lot lately, son.
I I-I can No, no, look.
I got it, all right? I'll close up, and I'll see you tomorrow.
- You sure? - Positive.
All right, show me this.
- Boom.
- Boom.
- See you, son.
- All right.
Who you looking for? Darius? I'm Darius.
Ray told me you got watches? All right, I got, uh, Movado, Cartier, and a couple of Rolexes.
Darius, it's Raymond.
What up, Darius? I see you met Smitty.
What you got? Ooh, you're gonna love these.
Just got a new shipment.
Sneakers, football jerseys, wallets.
Looking for Darius, I heard he got sneakers.
FBI! Nobody move.
I'm Agent Mike Blair.
Hands where I can see 'em.
Officer, Officer, um, I know what this looks like, but it's-it's not what you think, all right? We have receipts for all of this.
Hands behind your back.
Yo, yo, I can vouch for him, man.
It's-it's all legit.
None of this stuff is stolen.
Who are you? You guys partners? Cuff him as well.
Mr.
Lambert.
You're being charged with violation of trademark laws.
Selling counterfeit goods.
My name is Chunk Palmer and I'll be your public defender.
I should also inform you that while I'm not yet a fully-licensed criminal attorney, and I've yet to pass the bar, I'm participating in a law school clinic supervised by a professor and a licensed attorney in a program sanctioned by the New York City courts.
So, wait you're-you're not a real lawyer? Well, the city thinks I'm real enough.
Look, Mister Lambert, I assure you, you will not find an attorney who will work harder for you.
You'll be my only client, my sole concern.
Do I have a choice? Well, you can hire your own counsel if you'd like.
But that costs money, right? Well, what can I say? Look, everybody starts somewhere.
Everyone has their first case.
Your first case? So, according to this, you were arrested with someone named Raymond Hill? Yeah.
Raymond he's he's like a friend of a friend.
A guy from the neighborhood.
He's the one that got me into it.
He brings the goods, I do the selling, but it's not stolen or nothing.
Come on, man.
Someone shows up with designer goods in cardboard boxes, and you don't smell something's up? Look my grandfather owns a barbershop.
We've been having money problems taxes were due, bills were piling up.
I was just wanting to help out.
Raymond he kept coming by the-the shop when we were closing, and-and saying that he had a way I could make some fast cash - Selling counterfeit handbags.
- Yeah.
And watches and-and sneakers.
And I said no, but he kept coming by the shop with this merchandise.
Fancy-ass names, fancy-ass designs.
- And, finally, I said yes.
- Come on, man.
You had to know they were knock-offs.
I knew, but so do my customers.
I figured it couldn't be a crime if everyone was in on it.
All right.
Look, I'm-I'm gonna go find a marshal, and we're gonna get you arraigned.
Your Honor, counterfeiting is a trillion dollar industry.
It's the largest criminal enterprise in the world.
And it's not a victimless crime.
It involves the theft of intellectual property.
The goods are often made in factories that rely on child labor and human trafficking, and frequently, the profits are used to fund terrorist organizations.
Your Honor, my client is not a terrorist.
That's not what I'm implying.
You'll get your turn, sir.
I understand the severity of the charges.
Is there a request for bail? $5,000 cash.
I'll hear arguments.
This is not Mr.
Lambert's first brush with the law.
He was convicted four years ago for stealing a car.
I'll hear you on bail.
Thank you, Your Honor.
My name is Chunk Palmer, student defender, and I represent Mr.
Lambert.
And just to provide a little context for the larceny charge, he was a juvenile and it was his sister's car.
Nonetheless, he's still on probation for that case.
So, if he's convicted in this case, he'd be violating that probation, which could mean an additional sentence.
The purpose of the bail statute is to assure the defendant's return to court for trial.
My client will most certainly return, as he is eager to litigate the allegations against him.
He is the furthest thing from a flight risk.
He has deep roots in the community.
In fact, he's lived in the same neighborhood his entire life.
Give me a dollar amount.
Actually, I'm requesting that he be released on his own personal recognizance.
Okay.
Excuse me? I find your request to be reasonable.
Personal recognizance.
Next case.
Hi, Diana's voice mail.
You probably don't remember me.
My name's Jason Bull.
I know you're angry with me.
I know I invited you to New York and then I uninvited you to New York, but I've been trying to apologize for a while now.
I keep calling, but I only get your voice mail? And I keep leaving these messages, but I never get a message back? Did you block me? He just left town with nothing but the clothes on his back! That wasn't for you.
That was It doesn't matter.
Diana could you call me, please, or text me or send me an e-mail or something? I miss you.
Come in! You in the middle of something? No.
Yes.
You ever been blocked? What in football? Oh.
Let's start over.
- What can I do for you, sir? - Well, I kind of wanted to tell you that I won my first bail argument today, - my first anything argument in court.
- Hey! If I were still drinking, I'd say, "Let's drink to that.
" - Feel free to persuade me.
- Yeah.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Unfortunately, I have a hunch the feeling is fleeting.
Case I've been assigned is a slam dunk for the other side.
- Mm.
Welcome to the jungle.
- Yeah.
Poor kid was in the middle of selling some $40 sneakers in the back of his grandfather's barbershop when the FBI burst in and told him he's under arrest for copyright infringement.
Hmm.
You mean like those guys selling knock-off scarves and bags on every street corner of Manhattan? Yeah, but at least my guy had the good sense to do it behind closed doors.
If I don't win this case, he's looking at ten years in prison.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
Darius.
No, slow down.
They what? Well, are there agents there now? All right, look, hold tight.
I'll be there as soon as I can.
I'm sorry.
I got to head back out to Brooklyn.
This lawyer thing is a full-time job, isn't it? If you do it right.
Let me give you a lift.
There he is.
It's my lawyer.
Darius, what the hell's going on? They locked us out of our own store, - changed the locks.
- Man from the government comes into my shop, hands me these papers, tells me I got to leave.
They're trying to take my grandpa's business.
I'm Sasha, by the way.
Darius is my brother.
It's nice to meet you, Sasha.
Your sister's right.
It's a notice of forfeiture.
The government is taking ownership of the barbershop.
Oh, by the way, this is my boss, Dr.
Jason Bull.
The government's alleging your barbershop's an instrument of crime because it's where Darius was selling counterfeit merchandise? My grandfather didn't even know what I was doing.
I-I thought maybe he was selling his homemade shaving butter.
I was.
Oh, this is this is crazy, man.
This is crazy.
If My grandpa didn't do nothing.
They can't just come and-and-and take his business if he didn't do anything.
Can they? Unfortunately, the asset forfeiture law allows the government to seize property that furthers criminal activity.
Why would they want my place? We're barely getting by.
You own the building.
You own the land it sits on.
The neighborhood's changing.
In a few years, it's gonna be worth a lot more than it's worth now, and then the government can sell it.
So what are we gonna do? Maybe you can be his lawyer, too? Unfortunately, I can't.
I'm only allowed one case.
Maybe we could find a new public defender? No.
Fighting the forfeiture is a civil matter.
You're only entitled to a public defender in criminal cases.
Hell, I can't afford a lawyer.
Hey, you guys can't just stand here.
Disperse, or I'll put you under arrest.
Hey.
I think you need to talk to me.
And who are you? My name is Dr.
Jason Bull, and my firms represents the man who actually owns this shop, Mister Lambert.
William Lambert, owner and proprietor.
Not the grandson you busted for selling knock-offs out the back door, and not this gentleman, who's representing him.
Me, who you're gonna face in court if you don't vacate this man's private property now.
You want to go to court with the FBI? Question is does the FBI want to go to court with me? I have no idea who you are, sir, but my answer would be an emphatic yes.
I'll see you in court.
Knock, knock, knock.
Hey, Dr.
Bull wanted me to see if you needed any help.
- Any investigative assistance? - Oh We're running a one-time only special for rookie lawyers.
Nice.
Yeah.
I need you to investigate how I can get this case dismissed.
Oh, that's the attitude.
Surrender before the attack.
No, I'm serious.
They caught this kid dead to rights.
I have no idea how I'm gonna defend him.
Who knew selling knock-offs was such a heinous crime? Yeah.
It's funny.
When I was at Vogue, I saw all kinds of counterfeit everything.
I mean, some of the stuff, you could barely tell the difference between the fake and the real thing.
You know maybe if I could prove that this kid was selling really bad replicas, I really could get the court to dismiss the whole case.
I don't follow.
On what grounds? Well, I might be able to argue that Darius's knockoffs were so poorly made that there's no way that anyone could confuse them with the real thing.
Mm.
Is there any chance I could convince you to go downtown to the FBI evidence room and check out the merchandise first-hand? All part of the rookie lawyer special.
Yeah.
Well, let me discuss it with Bull and Benny.
Yeah.
See you tonight.
That was Danny.
She said all the merchandise she saw looked pretty convincing.
Apparently I'm not gonna be able to get this case dismissed because the goods don't look good enough.
- Mm.
- Here come our clients.
She also told me that some of the handbags that they confiscated from Darius have other older evidence tags inside of them.
Almost like they've been used as evidence before in other cases.
That doesn't make any sense.
She's photographing everything, so we'll be able to compare notes tonight.
Your Honor, the asset forfeiture laws were intended to stop drug dealers who use cars and planes and boats to transport contraband.
My client doesn't sell drugs.
He cuts hair.
Clearly, this is a gross misuse of this law.
Your Honor, this hearing is supposed to be about an injunction.
We are not here to argue the legality of the seizure.
But we should be.
Taking Mr.
Lambert's barbershop without a fair hearing is a violation of his fundamental right to due process.
I've read your brief, and I'm afraid I agree with the plaintiff.
Your Honor, respectfully the government took my client's only source of income.
How is he supposed to survive? Even if he wins this case, he will be so behind on his bills that he will still lose his business.
Be that as it may, I'm going to deny the defendant's motion.
But, given your concerns about due process, I can fast-track this case.
Trial begins tomorrow.
We're adjourned.
I only see one way to go on this.
The "innocent owner" defense.
We argue that the government had no right to take Willie's property because, A, he didn't do anything wrong and, B, he didn't know anything criminal was taking place - on his property.
- Eh.
Problem is we have to prove a negative.
How do you mean? Well, we have to convince a jury that Willie didn't know what Darius was doing.
Right? That's a negative.
It's really hard to prove what someone didn't know.
If you come bearing food, enter.
No food.
Not yet.
But I do come bearing an interesting factoid.
- We'll be the judge of that.
- So, Raymond the guy Darius was arrested with, the guy who was supplying him the merchandise he was never arraigned.
Well, how is that possible? He's an FBI agent.
Wait, so what are you saying that he put that young man up to it? Well, that explains those earlier evidence tags you found in the merchandise.
He obviously gets his goods out of the evidence locker.
Thank you, Raymond.
Finally.
I've got a defense.
Entrapment.
Ha! I may actually graduate with honors.
Look, according to Darius, this Raymond was all over him trying to get him to sell his merchandise.
Now, think about it without Raymond, Darius never would have committed this crime.
I can't wait to cross-examine this dude.
Hold on a second, Chunk.
You don't want to go barking up that tree.
This FBI guy didn't turn Darius into a criminal.
Didn't you tell me he already had a record? Oh, please.
He was 16 years old, and it was his sister's car.
Yes, but the prosecutor is gonna use it to demonstrate he had - a criminal past.
- I thought you weren't allowed to bring up a person's past.
They can if you accuse them of entrapment.
I promise you they will read into record every bad thing he's ever done.
If he stole a candy bar when he was ten, they'll tell the jury about it.
Plus, if you go with entrapment, you'll have to admit that Darius was actually selling the counterfeit goods.
There'll be no wiggle room to argue his innocence.
It's too risky.
Tell him.
You just told him.
You get it, don't you? It's 3-D chess.
Whatever you do, we inherit.
So you have to be really careful.
I get it.
I do.
And understand, if you do anything to jeopardize Willie's case our client's case we will be duty bound to protect Willie and his business, even if it means rolling over you and your client.
I get that, too.
Wai W-Wait a second.
Wait a second.
Bull, wait a second.
I Okay, fine.
No entrapment.
See you in court, Counselor.
My client is a 20-year-old man doing all he can to make enough money to keep himself and his family afloat.
All of us remember 20, right? Big year.
Big year for my client.
He opened his first checking account.
Rented his first apartment, got his first credit card, his first cell phone account.
Lots of important firsts.
Now, the government will tell you that this same young man who lives in a single room with a hot plate and a bathtub in his kitchen is actually threatening the copyrights of some famous designers and huge apparel companies.
How? By selling cheap copies out of the back of his grandfather's barber shop.
You know the ones I mean.
You see them on the street corners, where thousands of people walk by and hundreds of people stop to buy things.
But those vendors aren't here in court.
My 20-year-old client, who's done maybe $1,000 worth of sales in the past month he's here.
It's a bit of a head-scratcher, isn't it? Oh, these jurors are lovin' them some Chunk.
It's like he's been doing it all his life.
- Shh.
I don't want to miss anything.
- But it gets crazier.
What if I told you that the merchandise that he was selling came from the same people who arrested him? That's right they supplied the goods.
And not only that.
When he told them, "No, I don't want to sell "your cheap copies of expensive purses and watches and sneakers," they kept coming back and badgering him.
Oh, gee.
It looks like he's doing the very thing Benny and Bull asked him not to do.
- Yeah.
- There's a name for that, folks.
But didn't you say the jury was loving it? It's called entrapment.
And if you look the word up in the dictionary, it literally means tricking someone into committing a crime.
Is that what our government should be doing tricking its citizens into breaking the law? I don't think so.
And I'm reasonably sure that once you have heard all of the evidence, you won't think so either.
What the hell's the matter with you? It's nice to see you, too.
I warned you against entrapment.
You just couldn't resist, could you? Look, that FBI guy he approached Darius five separate times.
That's textbook entrapment.
How am I supposed to ignore that? You just do it! You listen to the people who know more than you, who are trying to help you.
Hell, nobody's talking about textbooks.
This is a courtroom, not a classroom.
Don't you see, Chunk Y-You told the jury that your client did it.
And that means that your whole defense is now gonna be based on why he did it.
And that's a tough fight.
Even for a guy who knows what he's doing.
Well, thanks for the vote of confidence.
Not that you care, but I'm more than able and willing to fight that fight.
Oh.
Well, that just makes it ten times harder for me.
Because now I have to convince a jury that Willie knew nothing about it.
And that would have been a hell of a lot easier if I could have argued that we weren't sure that was even a crime.
But you blew that to smithereens, hotshot.
And now you're gonna lose your case and I'm gonna lose mine.
- Speak for yourself, Counselor.
- You know what your problem is? You are arrogant and ignorant, and that is a deadly combination, my friend.
I'm not arrogant.
I'm confident.
Because I am in the right.
And that's always the best defense.
That's that I'm talking about.
This isn't Sunday school.
Being in the right doesn't mean squat.
Getting a jury to see that you're in the right that's the game we're playing.
And that you don't understand that proves to me you're not ready to play with the adults.
Okay Do I need to call both your parents? Tomorrow's witness list.
AUSA is calling your favorite FBI agent, Raymond, to the stand.
So, now that you've committed to this unfortunate choice of defense, I need you to go all-in.
I need you to hammer this son of a bitch like a bent nail.
Entrapment, entrapment, entrapment.
Makes sense.
And wouldn't you know it, after a short break for lunch, our pal Raymond will also be appearing in your courtroom.
And I need you to pound him, too.
You ever met Willie? You ever talk to Willie? You ever even laid eyes on Willie? I need to convince that jury that no matter what happened in that shop after hours, Willie knew nothing about it.
Got it.
Now shake hands, share your toys and stop yelling.
Or there'll be no TV for a week.
Or don't.
I don't care.
You approached my client on five separate occasions, didn't you? You pounded him until he finally agreed to cooperate with you.
Nobody pounded anybody.
We chatted.
No one forced him to do anything.
I don't know.
You're a pretty intimidating guy.
Objection.
Counsel is testifying, badgering the witness.
Sustained.
Ask a question, Mr.
Palmer.
You approached my client at the bus stop, didn't you? I did.
You approached my client at the bodega when he was buying food, didn't you? None of that is against the law.
Answer the question.
Yes or no? Yes.
You approached my client while waiting in line at the movies, didn't you? A happy coincidence.
I was going to the movies, too.
You were relentless, weren't you? I take my job seriously.
You a part of a team, Agent Hill? Yes.
And your team profits from forfeiture proceedings.
Everyone profits when you take criminals off the street.
Except my client wasn't a criminal until you came into his life.
Objection.
Again, argumentative.
Sustained.
Watch it, - Mr.
Palmer.
- Your client sold counterfeit goods.
Your client stole a car.
He didn't need my help to become a criminal.
The counterfeit goods that my client is accused of selling you supplied him those goods, didn't you? - Objection.
- Overruled.
Answer the question.
Yes, I supplied the merchandise.
- Brought in customers? - Some.
That's a pretty great system.
You dream up a crime, bully someone into committing it, and then you bust them for it.
All the while, you and the members of your team are commended for it.
Isn't that how it works? You got promotions and raises, didn't you? The witness will answer the question.
Yes.
We got promotions and raises.
No further questions.
Isn't it true that you communicated exclusively with my client's grandson, Darius Lambert? True.
In fact, you've never even spoken to Mr.
Willie Lambert, have you? No, I have not.
And when you did find occasion to go to the barbershop, it was always after closing time, wasn't it? I believe so.
In truth, you actually went out of your way to avoid my client, didn't you? Where is this going? Get to it, Mr.
Colón.
You figured if Willie knew what was going on in his shop, he'd put a stop to it immediately, and that isn't what you wanted.
Objection.
'Cause if he put a stop to it, you and your colleagues wouldn't have anything to show for all of your hard work.
I'm sorry, um what was the question? Actually, I don't think there is a question.
I think it's all perfectly clear.
No more questions for this witness, Your Honor.
Ah.
There's a familiar face.
Dr.
Bull.
It's been a while.
What can I do for you? Well, Chunk Palmer, the opposing counsel when he's not going to school, he's working for me.
- Aha.
- Mm.
You want me to go easy on him? I was kind of hoping we could go easy on each other.
How do you mean? I was hoping we could bring this case to a mutually beneficial resolution.
I am never averse to a plea.
What are you proposing? How do you feel about six months? If you can get him to plead guilty, I'll recommend 36 months.
Come on.
He's a kid.
He doesn't deserve that much time.
Let's make it a year.
I may be able to sell that.
And no admission of guilt.
No.
I can't sentence him without a guilty plea.
Sure you can.
We could do an Alford plea.
An Alford plea means Darius doesn't actually admit he's guilty.
The only thing he admits is that the government has enough evidence to prove he did what he's accused of.
So he says he isn't guilty and gets sentenced anyway.
What's he get? In this case, it's a year instead of the ten he was staring at.
Chunk, it's a win-win.
It's a great deal for Darius, and there's no admission of guilt to use against Willie.
An Alford plea.
It's the same as if he plead no contest.
I know what an Alford plea is.
Great.
Then tomorrow morning, I need you to go talk to your client, and tell him to take it.
Look, I know I'm the reason you got involved with this case.
And I appreciate everything that you've done.
Then there's nothing else to talk about.
But an Alford plea I'm not sure that's how I want to play it.
I don't think you get what's happening here.
No, I get it.
It's good for you and good for your client.
And your client, too.
Unless I win, which is good for everybody.
But you're not gonna win.
You already admitted he did it.
You didn't leave the jury any room to find for your client, which is exactly what we told you was gonna happen.
Now take your ego out of the equation, go and talk to your client, tell him to take the deal.
You just you got to keep in mind that you're looking at ten years in prison.
You're pretty sure they're gonna find me guilty, huh? The thing is, I can't guarantee they won't.
This is good for my grandpa? Yeah.
You'll absolutely be helping your grandpa.
And just so you understand, you'll be sentenced today.
You'll serve a year in prison, and you'll be a convicted felon when you get out.
And what would you do? I mean, if if you were me? Would you do it? Would you serve a year in prison for selling some stuff that no one in their right mind would think is anything but what it is: pretend fancy? The defendant has indicated he would like to offer a change of plea.
Is that true, Mr.
Palmer? Darius I need you to tell me that this is your choice.
I got to think about my grandfather.
Mr.
Palmer? You know what? I'm starting to think that m-maybe we got that wrong.
Maybe you just got to think about you.
Look, don't say that.
- You're confusing me.
- Look, I think it's great that you're tying to protect someone else, but that man has lived his life.
He made his choices.
And it seems to me that most of those have been about making sure that you had a better life than he had, I don't think he'd want you to give up on that.
And besides he is surrounded by great people terrific legal minds.
He will have his day in court.
But today is yours.
So do you want to take this deal or do we fight on? Mr.
Palmer what's your pleasure? Mr.
Palmer, do we swear in your client and commence with the allocution? I apologize, Your Honor, but after careful consideration, my client has decided he does not wish to change his plea.
He wishes to continue with the trial.
He in there? He sure is.
You got a minute? Come on in.
I know you're angry.
You don't know anything.
That's the part I can't seem to get you to understand.
Uh, look, I-I didn't take the plea be he didn't take the plea be because damn it, a year in prison is a year too long for something that he never would have done had law enforcement not trapped him into it.
And yeah, I understand the 3-D chess of it all, but we got to I I got to take things as they come.
And Darius comes first.
I know that was your thinking, I respect that that was your thinking, I just don't agree with your thinking.
And here we are.
Here we are.
And just so you know, I've subpoenaed Willie to testify.
In Darius's case.
Seriously? Willie is my client, and he is not gonna testify.
He's my first witness tomorrow morning.
No, he's not.
I won't allow it.
That would not be in his best interest.
It's too late.
He's already agreed to it.
You understand if he takes the stand for Darius, if he inadvertently admits to something that hurts his own case I understand, he understands, and we all think it's a risk worth taking.
You talked to him without my permission.
I did.
Well, then, I hope you know what you're doing.
I'm just doing what you always taught me: believing in myself.
I'll see you in court.
Mr.
Lambert, how did you feel when your grandson stole your granddaughter's brand-new car? Angry.
Mad.
Sad.
Uh, disappointed.
But I knew that wasn't who he was.
The good Lord wasn't through cooking him yet.
Boys do all kind of silly, stupid stuff when they're-when they're 16.
I did a lot of s stupid stuff when I was 16.
So I held my tongue, bided my time.
And were you right? How did he do with his probation? Four years.
Never slipped up.
Not once.
And his probation officer was strict.
He'd give him these random, uh, uh, drug and alcohol tests.
Put him on curfew.
That guy was serious.
Very serious.
And did he ever stop by? Come by the house or the shop? Give you an idea as to how Darius was doing? Objection.
Hearsay.
Objection sustained.
Let's try another way.
You met Darius probation officer? Sure have.
Came by the shop.
Wanted to see where Darius was working.
I told him, "Look around.
" Showed him Darius' chair, his barber's license, the album with pictures of haircuts that he likes and wants to try.
Showed him his equipment his-his scissors, his combs and razors.
Took him to the back room and showed him where Darius kept his shaving butter.
Opened the closet, showed him the boxes.
Even gave him a sample.
Was he impressed? Your Honor.
I withdraw the question.
Do you regret hiring your grandson? He seems to have gotten himself into quite a bit of trouble here.
I don't regret it for a second.
I honestly don't feel that he did get himself into trouble.
I feel like he was led into trouble.
Here's something that, uh, maybe you don't know.
He did it for me.
He knew I was barely hanging on.
Utilities, taxes.
Every few days, he'd come up and say, "Grandpa, I sold another case of my shaving butter.
" Give me $100.
$200! I said, "Damn, that shaving butter's flying out that back room.
" I also thought that grandson of mine God's done cooking.
And he's done a damn good job.
Hell of a job.
Mr.
Lambert, thank you.
I have no further questions.
Mr.
Lambert if I told you to steal something that woman's purse would you do it? Objection.
Relevance.
Overruled.
The witness will answer the question.
Of course not.
How about if I asked you twice? - No.
- Ten times? You could ask me a million times.
I wouldn't steal someone's stuff.
Good for you.
And what do you call someone who does? Someone like your grandson.
Your Honor, objection! She's badgering the witness.
Never mind.
I withdraw the question.
I have nothing further.
Counselor.
Tell me again how you're just doing what I taught you.
Willie did you proud.
Nah.
You were right.
It's not gonna be enough.
I took an unnecessary risk.
Yeah, but at the end of the day, I don't think he did any damage to our case.
And, who knows, he may have helped yours.
The jury loved him.
Don't quote me, but I'm starting to think you may win this thing with the right closing argument.
Plus, you gave him an idea.
He wants to subpoena Darius' probation officer to testify.
Really? How's he gonna help? Well, he's not talking about your case.
He's talking about our case.
Watch and learn.
Good morning, Mr.
Chilton.
Now, I understand that you are Darius Lambert Willie Lambert's grandson's probation officer.
Are you aware that he started a business making homemade shaving butter? Objection.
What does this have to do with Mr.
Willie Lambert? What's the relevance, Mr.
Colón? I'll rephrase, Your Honor.
Did my client ever have occasion to show you around his barber shop? Yes, he did.
I stopped in to see where Darius worked, and he gave me a little tour of the place.
Did he happen to lead you over to where his grandson kept his shaving butter? - He did.
- And where was that? I believe it was in the back closet.
- And he left you all alone back there? - Yes.
Told you to open up any box you wanted? I didn't open any boxes.
But you could have.
You wanted to.
I mean, he invited you to.
Yeah.
As a matter of fact, he did.
Now, take a look at this photo.
It's a police photo from the night of the seizure.
Is that the closet you're talking about? - Appears to be.
- Huh.
It's where Darius kept his shaving butter.
But did you know it's also where Darius stashed his counterfeit merchandise, to be sold at the behest of Agent Hill? Again, this jury is not here to decide the Darius Lambert case.
Mr.
Colón, can you connect the dots for me? Of course, Your Honor.
We are alleging that Mr.
Lambert didn't know that counterfeit merchandise was being sold from his shop.
But I submit that this is definitive proof.
Because if Mr.
Lambert would have known that there was contraband back there, he never would have offered his grandson's probation officer to have unfettered access in that area.
Marissa, tell me what you see.
Green.
Nothing but green.
Green as a gooseberry.
Chunk still at it? Still working on his closing argument? Yep.
No sound? You don't want to hear what he's saying? I want to be surprised tomorrow in court.
Hmm.
I was so angry at him yesterday.
The way he defied me.
How dare he believe in himself more than he believes in me? - Kids today.
- Hmm.
My client did it.
We've never denied that.
What we have tried to impress upon you is that this crime never had to happen.
If Agent Hill had never pleaded with my client to sell his counterfeit goods, none of us would be sitting here.
My client wasn't looking for something to sell out of his grandfather's shop.
He just wanted to cut hair and sell his shaving butter.
But here we are.
And here you are.
And if you think that selling cheap copies of expensive purses and wallets and sneakers is worth ten years behind bars worth taking away somebody's 20s will make your neighborhood, your city, your world a safer place then I encourage you to find him guilty.
But if you're like me, and you think that your block, your city, your world would be better served by having a young man who cares so deeply for his family for his grandfather, that he's willing to put in the extra work, and try to add money to his family's business, then I urge you to remember what I said a moment ago.
This crime never had to happen.
This prison sentence never has to happen.
This miscarriage of justice, this destruction of a young man's life never has to happen.
And I would implore you to find my client innocent.
Thank you for your time.
Great job.
Thank you.
Congratulations.
Ah.
Come here, now.
Come here, son.
Come here, son.
Come on, girl.
Come on, now.
Nice work, Counselor.
Thank you for your help.
Thanks for getting involved.
No, thank you for pushing back.
Thank you for letting me.
Uh why don't we all get something to eat.
You must be hungry.
- Yeah! - Yeah? Yeah? Let's go.
Come on.
Oh.
Thank you, again.
Ooh.
Feels nice.
Yeah, you-you like that? You know, that's, uh, my shaving butter right there.
- Oh, yeah? - Yeah, man.
I make it myself.
It's $12 a jar, two for $20.
No, just the cut and the shave today, man.
All right.
Maybe next time.
- Yo, Grandpa? - Hmm? Go home, man.
Get out of here.
I'll close up.
Uh, uh, it's okay.
I-I got this.
You've been staying late a lot lately, son.
I I-I can No, no, look.
I got it, all right? I'll close up, and I'll see you tomorrow.
- You sure? - Positive.
All right, show me this.
- Boom.
- Boom.
- See you, son.
- All right.
Who you looking for? Darius? I'm Darius.
Ray told me you got watches? All right, I got, uh, Movado, Cartier, and a couple of Rolexes.
Darius, it's Raymond.
What up, Darius? I see you met Smitty.
What you got? Ooh, you're gonna love these.
Just got a new shipment.
Sneakers, football jerseys, wallets.
Looking for Darius, I heard he got sneakers.
FBI! Nobody move.
I'm Agent Mike Blair.
Hands where I can see 'em.
Officer, Officer, um, I know what this looks like, but it's-it's not what you think, all right? We have receipts for all of this.
Hands behind your back.
Yo, yo, I can vouch for him, man.
It's-it's all legit.
None of this stuff is stolen.
Who are you? You guys partners? Cuff him as well.
Mr.
Lambert.
You're being charged with violation of trademark laws.
Selling counterfeit goods.
My name is Chunk Palmer and I'll be your public defender.
I should also inform you that while I'm not yet a fully-licensed criminal attorney, and I've yet to pass the bar, I'm participating in a law school clinic supervised by a professor and a licensed attorney in a program sanctioned by the New York City courts.
So, wait you're-you're not a real lawyer? Well, the city thinks I'm real enough.
Look, Mister Lambert, I assure you, you will not find an attorney who will work harder for you.
You'll be my only client, my sole concern.
Do I have a choice? Well, you can hire your own counsel if you'd like.
But that costs money, right? Well, what can I say? Look, everybody starts somewhere.
Everyone has their first case.
Your first case? So, according to this, you were arrested with someone named Raymond Hill? Yeah.
Raymond he's he's like a friend of a friend.
A guy from the neighborhood.
He's the one that got me into it.
He brings the goods, I do the selling, but it's not stolen or nothing.
Come on, man.
Someone shows up with designer goods in cardboard boxes, and you don't smell something's up? Look my grandfather owns a barbershop.
We've been having money problems taxes were due, bills were piling up.
I was just wanting to help out.
Raymond he kept coming by the-the shop when we were closing, and-and saying that he had a way I could make some fast cash - Selling counterfeit handbags.
- Yeah.
And watches and-and sneakers.
And I said no, but he kept coming by the shop with this merchandise.
Fancy-ass names, fancy-ass designs.
- And, finally, I said yes.
- Come on, man.
You had to know they were knock-offs.
I knew, but so do my customers.
I figured it couldn't be a crime if everyone was in on it.
All right.
Look, I'm-I'm gonna go find a marshal, and we're gonna get you arraigned.
Your Honor, counterfeiting is a trillion dollar industry.
It's the largest criminal enterprise in the world.
And it's not a victimless crime.
It involves the theft of intellectual property.
The goods are often made in factories that rely on child labor and human trafficking, and frequently, the profits are used to fund terrorist organizations.
Your Honor, my client is not a terrorist.
That's not what I'm implying.
You'll get your turn, sir.
I understand the severity of the charges.
Is there a request for bail? $5,000 cash.
I'll hear arguments.
This is not Mr.
Lambert's first brush with the law.
He was convicted four years ago for stealing a car.
I'll hear you on bail.
Thank you, Your Honor.
My name is Chunk Palmer, student defender, and I represent Mr.
Lambert.
And just to provide a little context for the larceny charge, he was a juvenile and it was his sister's car.
Nonetheless, he's still on probation for that case.
So, if he's convicted in this case, he'd be violating that probation, which could mean an additional sentence.
The purpose of the bail statute is to assure the defendant's return to court for trial.
My client will most certainly return, as he is eager to litigate the allegations against him.
He is the furthest thing from a flight risk.
He has deep roots in the community.
In fact, he's lived in the same neighborhood his entire life.
Give me a dollar amount.
Actually, I'm requesting that he be released on his own personal recognizance.
Okay.
Excuse me? I find your request to be reasonable.
Personal recognizance.
Next case.
Hi, Diana's voice mail.
You probably don't remember me.
My name's Jason Bull.
I know you're angry with me.
I know I invited you to New York and then I uninvited you to New York, but I've been trying to apologize for a while now.
I keep calling, but I only get your voice mail? And I keep leaving these messages, but I never get a message back? Did you block me? He just left town with nothing but the clothes on his back! That wasn't for you.
That was It doesn't matter.
Diana could you call me, please, or text me or send me an e-mail or something? I miss you.
Come in! You in the middle of something? No.
Yes.
You ever been blocked? What in football? Oh.
Let's start over.
- What can I do for you, sir? - Well, I kind of wanted to tell you that I won my first bail argument today, - my first anything argument in court.
- Hey! If I were still drinking, I'd say, "Let's drink to that.
" - Feel free to persuade me.
- Yeah.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Unfortunately, I have a hunch the feeling is fleeting.
Case I've been assigned is a slam dunk for the other side.
- Mm.
Welcome to the jungle.
- Yeah.
Poor kid was in the middle of selling some $40 sneakers in the back of his grandfather's barbershop when the FBI burst in and told him he's under arrest for copyright infringement.
Hmm.
You mean like those guys selling knock-off scarves and bags on every street corner of Manhattan? Yeah, but at least my guy had the good sense to do it behind closed doors.
If I don't win this case, he's looking at ten years in prison.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
Darius.
No, slow down.
They what? Well, are there agents there now? All right, look, hold tight.
I'll be there as soon as I can.
I'm sorry.
I got to head back out to Brooklyn.
This lawyer thing is a full-time job, isn't it? If you do it right.
Let me give you a lift.
There he is.
It's my lawyer.
Darius, what the hell's going on? They locked us out of our own store, - changed the locks.
- Man from the government comes into my shop, hands me these papers, tells me I got to leave.
They're trying to take my grandpa's business.
I'm Sasha, by the way.
Darius is my brother.
It's nice to meet you, Sasha.
Your sister's right.
It's a notice of forfeiture.
The government is taking ownership of the barbershop.
Oh, by the way, this is my boss, Dr.
Jason Bull.
The government's alleging your barbershop's an instrument of crime because it's where Darius was selling counterfeit merchandise? My grandfather didn't even know what I was doing.
I-I thought maybe he was selling his homemade shaving butter.
I was.
Oh, this is this is crazy, man.
This is crazy.
If My grandpa didn't do nothing.
They can't just come and-and-and take his business if he didn't do anything.
Can they? Unfortunately, the asset forfeiture law allows the government to seize property that furthers criminal activity.
Why would they want my place? We're barely getting by.
You own the building.
You own the land it sits on.
The neighborhood's changing.
In a few years, it's gonna be worth a lot more than it's worth now, and then the government can sell it.
So what are we gonna do? Maybe you can be his lawyer, too? Unfortunately, I can't.
I'm only allowed one case.
Maybe we could find a new public defender? No.
Fighting the forfeiture is a civil matter.
You're only entitled to a public defender in criminal cases.
Hell, I can't afford a lawyer.
Hey, you guys can't just stand here.
Disperse, or I'll put you under arrest.
Hey.
I think you need to talk to me.
And who are you? My name is Dr.
Jason Bull, and my firms represents the man who actually owns this shop, Mister Lambert.
William Lambert, owner and proprietor.
Not the grandson you busted for selling knock-offs out the back door, and not this gentleman, who's representing him.
Me, who you're gonna face in court if you don't vacate this man's private property now.
You want to go to court with the FBI? Question is does the FBI want to go to court with me? I have no idea who you are, sir, but my answer would be an emphatic yes.
I'll see you in court.
Knock, knock, knock.
Hey, Dr.
Bull wanted me to see if you needed any help.
- Any investigative assistance? - Oh We're running a one-time only special for rookie lawyers.
Nice.
Yeah.
I need you to investigate how I can get this case dismissed.
Oh, that's the attitude.
Surrender before the attack.
No, I'm serious.
They caught this kid dead to rights.
I have no idea how I'm gonna defend him.
Who knew selling knock-offs was such a heinous crime? Yeah.
It's funny.
When I was at Vogue, I saw all kinds of counterfeit everything.
I mean, some of the stuff, you could barely tell the difference between the fake and the real thing.
You know maybe if I could prove that this kid was selling really bad replicas, I really could get the court to dismiss the whole case.
I don't follow.
On what grounds? Well, I might be able to argue that Darius's knockoffs were so poorly made that there's no way that anyone could confuse them with the real thing.
Mm.
Is there any chance I could convince you to go downtown to the FBI evidence room and check out the merchandise first-hand? All part of the rookie lawyer special.
Yeah.
Well, let me discuss it with Bull and Benny.
Yeah.
See you tonight.
That was Danny.
She said all the merchandise she saw looked pretty convincing.
Apparently I'm not gonna be able to get this case dismissed because the goods don't look good enough.
- Mm.
- Here come our clients.
She also told me that some of the handbags that they confiscated from Darius have other older evidence tags inside of them.
Almost like they've been used as evidence before in other cases.
That doesn't make any sense.
She's photographing everything, so we'll be able to compare notes tonight.
Your Honor, the asset forfeiture laws were intended to stop drug dealers who use cars and planes and boats to transport contraband.
My client doesn't sell drugs.
He cuts hair.
Clearly, this is a gross misuse of this law.
Your Honor, this hearing is supposed to be about an injunction.
We are not here to argue the legality of the seizure.
But we should be.
Taking Mr.
Lambert's barbershop without a fair hearing is a violation of his fundamental right to due process.
I've read your brief, and I'm afraid I agree with the plaintiff.
Your Honor, respectfully the government took my client's only source of income.
How is he supposed to survive? Even if he wins this case, he will be so behind on his bills that he will still lose his business.
Be that as it may, I'm going to deny the defendant's motion.
But, given your concerns about due process, I can fast-track this case.
Trial begins tomorrow.
We're adjourned.
I only see one way to go on this.
The "innocent owner" defense.
We argue that the government had no right to take Willie's property because, A, he didn't do anything wrong and, B, he didn't know anything criminal was taking place - on his property.
- Eh.
Problem is we have to prove a negative.
How do you mean? Well, we have to convince a jury that Willie didn't know what Darius was doing.
Right? That's a negative.
It's really hard to prove what someone didn't know.
If you come bearing food, enter.
No food.
Not yet.
But I do come bearing an interesting factoid.
- We'll be the judge of that.
- So, Raymond the guy Darius was arrested with, the guy who was supplying him the merchandise he was never arraigned.
Well, how is that possible? He's an FBI agent.
Wait, so what are you saying that he put that young man up to it? Well, that explains those earlier evidence tags you found in the merchandise.
He obviously gets his goods out of the evidence locker.
Thank you, Raymond.
Finally.
I've got a defense.
Entrapment.
Ha! I may actually graduate with honors.
Look, according to Darius, this Raymond was all over him trying to get him to sell his merchandise.
Now, think about it without Raymond, Darius never would have committed this crime.
I can't wait to cross-examine this dude.
Hold on a second, Chunk.
You don't want to go barking up that tree.
This FBI guy didn't turn Darius into a criminal.
Didn't you tell me he already had a record? Oh, please.
He was 16 years old, and it was his sister's car.
Yes, but the prosecutor is gonna use it to demonstrate he had - a criminal past.
- I thought you weren't allowed to bring up a person's past.
They can if you accuse them of entrapment.
I promise you they will read into record every bad thing he's ever done.
If he stole a candy bar when he was ten, they'll tell the jury about it.
Plus, if you go with entrapment, you'll have to admit that Darius was actually selling the counterfeit goods.
There'll be no wiggle room to argue his innocence.
It's too risky.
Tell him.
You just told him.
You get it, don't you? It's 3-D chess.
Whatever you do, we inherit.
So you have to be really careful.
I get it.
I do.
And understand, if you do anything to jeopardize Willie's case our client's case we will be duty bound to protect Willie and his business, even if it means rolling over you and your client.
I get that, too.
Wai W-Wait a second.
Wait a second.
Bull, wait a second.
I Okay, fine.
No entrapment.
See you in court, Counselor.
My client is a 20-year-old man doing all he can to make enough money to keep himself and his family afloat.
All of us remember 20, right? Big year.
Big year for my client.
He opened his first checking account.
Rented his first apartment, got his first credit card, his first cell phone account.
Lots of important firsts.
Now, the government will tell you that this same young man who lives in a single room with a hot plate and a bathtub in his kitchen is actually threatening the copyrights of some famous designers and huge apparel companies.
How? By selling cheap copies out of the back of his grandfather's barber shop.
You know the ones I mean.
You see them on the street corners, where thousands of people walk by and hundreds of people stop to buy things.
But those vendors aren't here in court.
My 20-year-old client, who's done maybe $1,000 worth of sales in the past month he's here.
It's a bit of a head-scratcher, isn't it? Oh, these jurors are lovin' them some Chunk.
It's like he's been doing it all his life.
- Shh.
I don't want to miss anything.
- But it gets crazier.
What if I told you that the merchandise that he was selling came from the same people who arrested him? That's right they supplied the goods.
And not only that.
When he told them, "No, I don't want to sell "your cheap copies of expensive purses and watches and sneakers," they kept coming back and badgering him.
Oh, gee.
It looks like he's doing the very thing Benny and Bull asked him not to do.
- Yeah.
- There's a name for that, folks.
But didn't you say the jury was loving it? It's called entrapment.
And if you look the word up in the dictionary, it literally means tricking someone into committing a crime.
Is that what our government should be doing tricking its citizens into breaking the law? I don't think so.
And I'm reasonably sure that once you have heard all of the evidence, you won't think so either.
What the hell's the matter with you? It's nice to see you, too.
I warned you against entrapment.
You just couldn't resist, could you? Look, that FBI guy he approached Darius five separate times.
That's textbook entrapment.
How am I supposed to ignore that? You just do it! You listen to the people who know more than you, who are trying to help you.
Hell, nobody's talking about textbooks.
This is a courtroom, not a classroom.
Don't you see, Chunk Y-You told the jury that your client did it.
And that means that your whole defense is now gonna be based on why he did it.
And that's a tough fight.
Even for a guy who knows what he's doing.
Well, thanks for the vote of confidence.
Not that you care, but I'm more than able and willing to fight that fight.
Oh.
Well, that just makes it ten times harder for me.
Because now I have to convince a jury that Willie knew nothing about it.
And that would have been a hell of a lot easier if I could have argued that we weren't sure that was even a crime.
But you blew that to smithereens, hotshot.
And now you're gonna lose your case and I'm gonna lose mine.
- Speak for yourself, Counselor.
- You know what your problem is? You are arrogant and ignorant, and that is a deadly combination, my friend.
I'm not arrogant.
I'm confident.
Because I am in the right.
And that's always the best defense.
That's that I'm talking about.
This isn't Sunday school.
Being in the right doesn't mean squat.
Getting a jury to see that you're in the right that's the game we're playing.
And that you don't understand that proves to me you're not ready to play with the adults.
Okay Do I need to call both your parents? Tomorrow's witness list.
AUSA is calling your favorite FBI agent, Raymond, to the stand.
So, now that you've committed to this unfortunate choice of defense, I need you to go all-in.
I need you to hammer this son of a bitch like a bent nail.
Entrapment, entrapment, entrapment.
Makes sense.
And wouldn't you know it, after a short break for lunch, our pal Raymond will also be appearing in your courtroom.
And I need you to pound him, too.
You ever met Willie? You ever talk to Willie? You ever even laid eyes on Willie? I need to convince that jury that no matter what happened in that shop after hours, Willie knew nothing about it.
Got it.
Now shake hands, share your toys and stop yelling.
Or there'll be no TV for a week.
Or don't.
I don't care.
You approached my client on five separate occasions, didn't you? You pounded him until he finally agreed to cooperate with you.
Nobody pounded anybody.
We chatted.
No one forced him to do anything.
I don't know.
You're a pretty intimidating guy.
Objection.
Counsel is testifying, badgering the witness.
Sustained.
Ask a question, Mr.
Palmer.
You approached my client at the bus stop, didn't you? I did.
You approached my client at the bodega when he was buying food, didn't you? None of that is against the law.
Answer the question.
Yes or no? Yes.
You approached my client while waiting in line at the movies, didn't you? A happy coincidence.
I was going to the movies, too.
You were relentless, weren't you? I take my job seriously.
You a part of a team, Agent Hill? Yes.
And your team profits from forfeiture proceedings.
Everyone profits when you take criminals off the street.
Except my client wasn't a criminal until you came into his life.
Objection.
Again, argumentative.
Sustained.
Watch it, - Mr.
Palmer.
- Your client sold counterfeit goods.
Your client stole a car.
He didn't need my help to become a criminal.
The counterfeit goods that my client is accused of selling you supplied him those goods, didn't you? - Objection.
- Overruled.
Answer the question.
Yes, I supplied the merchandise.
- Brought in customers? - Some.
That's a pretty great system.
You dream up a crime, bully someone into committing it, and then you bust them for it.
All the while, you and the members of your team are commended for it.
Isn't that how it works? You got promotions and raises, didn't you? The witness will answer the question.
Yes.
We got promotions and raises.
No further questions.
Isn't it true that you communicated exclusively with my client's grandson, Darius Lambert? True.
In fact, you've never even spoken to Mr.
Willie Lambert, have you? No, I have not.
And when you did find occasion to go to the barbershop, it was always after closing time, wasn't it? I believe so.
In truth, you actually went out of your way to avoid my client, didn't you? Where is this going? Get to it, Mr.
Colón.
You figured if Willie knew what was going on in his shop, he'd put a stop to it immediately, and that isn't what you wanted.
Objection.
'Cause if he put a stop to it, you and your colleagues wouldn't have anything to show for all of your hard work.
I'm sorry, um what was the question? Actually, I don't think there is a question.
I think it's all perfectly clear.
No more questions for this witness, Your Honor.
Ah.
There's a familiar face.
Dr.
Bull.
It's been a while.
What can I do for you? Well, Chunk Palmer, the opposing counsel when he's not going to school, he's working for me.
- Aha.
- Mm.
You want me to go easy on him? I was kind of hoping we could go easy on each other.
How do you mean? I was hoping we could bring this case to a mutually beneficial resolution.
I am never averse to a plea.
What are you proposing? How do you feel about six months? If you can get him to plead guilty, I'll recommend 36 months.
Come on.
He's a kid.
He doesn't deserve that much time.
Let's make it a year.
I may be able to sell that.
And no admission of guilt.
No.
I can't sentence him without a guilty plea.
Sure you can.
We could do an Alford plea.
An Alford plea means Darius doesn't actually admit he's guilty.
The only thing he admits is that the government has enough evidence to prove he did what he's accused of.
So he says he isn't guilty and gets sentenced anyway.
What's he get? In this case, it's a year instead of the ten he was staring at.
Chunk, it's a win-win.
It's a great deal for Darius, and there's no admission of guilt to use against Willie.
An Alford plea.
It's the same as if he plead no contest.
I know what an Alford plea is.
Great.
Then tomorrow morning, I need you to go talk to your client, and tell him to take it.
Look, I know I'm the reason you got involved with this case.
And I appreciate everything that you've done.
Then there's nothing else to talk about.
But an Alford plea I'm not sure that's how I want to play it.
I don't think you get what's happening here.
No, I get it.
It's good for you and good for your client.
And your client, too.
Unless I win, which is good for everybody.
But you're not gonna win.
You already admitted he did it.
You didn't leave the jury any room to find for your client, which is exactly what we told you was gonna happen.
Now take your ego out of the equation, go and talk to your client, tell him to take the deal.
You just you got to keep in mind that you're looking at ten years in prison.
You're pretty sure they're gonna find me guilty, huh? The thing is, I can't guarantee they won't.
This is good for my grandpa? Yeah.
You'll absolutely be helping your grandpa.
And just so you understand, you'll be sentenced today.
You'll serve a year in prison, and you'll be a convicted felon when you get out.
And what would you do? I mean, if if you were me? Would you do it? Would you serve a year in prison for selling some stuff that no one in their right mind would think is anything but what it is: pretend fancy? The defendant has indicated he would like to offer a change of plea.
Is that true, Mr.
Palmer? Darius I need you to tell me that this is your choice.
I got to think about my grandfather.
Mr.
Palmer? You know what? I'm starting to think that m-maybe we got that wrong.
Maybe you just got to think about you.
Look, don't say that.
- You're confusing me.
- Look, I think it's great that you're tying to protect someone else, but that man has lived his life.
He made his choices.
And it seems to me that most of those have been about making sure that you had a better life than he had, I don't think he'd want you to give up on that.
And besides he is surrounded by great people terrific legal minds.
He will have his day in court.
But today is yours.
So do you want to take this deal or do we fight on? Mr.
Palmer what's your pleasure? Mr.
Palmer, do we swear in your client and commence with the allocution? I apologize, Your Honor, but after careful consideration, my client has decided he does not wish to change his plea.
He wishes to continue with the trial.
He in there? He sure is.
You got a minute? Come on in.
I know you're angry.
You don't know anything.
That's the part I can't seem to get you to understand.
Uh, look, I-I didn't take the plea be he didn't take the plea be because damn it, a year in prison is a year too long for something that he never would have done had law enforcement not trapped him into it.
And yeah, I understand the 3-D chess of it all, but we got to I I got to take things as they come.
And Darius comes first.
I know that was your thinking, I respect that that was your thinking, I just don't agree with your thinking.
And here we are.
Here we are.
And just so you know, I've subpoenaed Willie to testify.
In Darius's case.
Seriously? Willie is my client, and he is not gonna testify.
He's my first witness tomorrow morning.
No, he's not.
I won't allow it.
That would not be in his best interest.
It's too late.
He's already agreed to it.
You understand if he takes the stand for Darius, if he inadvertently admits to something that hurts his own case I understand, he understands, and we all think it's a risk worth taking.
You talked to him without my permission.
I did.
Well, then, I hope you know what you're doing.
I'm just doing what you always taught me: believing in myself.
I'll see you in court.
Mr.
Lambert, how did you feel when your grandson stole your granddaughter's brand-new car? Angry.
Mad.
Sad.
Uh, disappointed.
But I knew that wasn't who he was.
The good Lord wasn't through cooking him yet.
Boys do all kind of silly, stupid stuff when they're-when they're 16.
I did a lot of s stupid stuff when I was 16.
So I held my tongue, bided my time.
And were you right? How did he do with his probation? Four years.
Never slipped up.
Not once.
And his probation officer was strict.
He'd give him these random, uh, uh, drug and alcohol tests.
Put him on curfew.
That guy was serious.
Very serious.
And did he ever stop by? Come by the house or the shop? Give you an idea as to how Darius was doing? Objection.
Hearsay.
Objection sustained.
Let's try another way.
You met Darius probation officer? Sure have.
Came by the shop.
Wanted to see where Darius was working.
I told him, "Look around.
" Showed him Darius' chair, his barber's license, the album with pictures of haircuts that he likes and wants to try.
Showed him his equipment his-his scissors, his combs and razors.
Took him to the back room and showed him where Darius kept his shaving butter.
Opened the closet, showed him the boxes.
Even gave him a sample.
Was he impressed? Your Honor.
I withdraw the question.
Do you regret hiring your grandson? He seems to have gotten himself into quite a bit of trouble here.
I don't regret it for a second.
I honestly don't feel that he did get himself into trouble.
I feel like he was led into trouble.
Here's something that, uh, maybe you don't know.
He did it for me.
He knew I was barely hanging on.
Utilities, taxes.
Every few days, he'd come up and say, "Grandpa, I sold another case of my shaving butter.
" Give me $100.
$200! I said, "Damn, that shaving butter's flying out that back room.
" I also thought that grandson of mine God's done cooking.
And he's done a damn good job.
Hell of a job.
Mr.
Lambert, thank you.
I have no further questions.
Mr.
Lambert if I told you to steal something that woman's purse would you do it? Objection.
Relevance.
Overruled.
The witness will answer the question.
Of course not.
How about if I asked you twice? - No.
- Ten times? You could ask me a million times.
I wouldn't steal someone's stuff.
Good for you.
And what do you call someone who does? Someone like your grandson.
Your Honor, objection! She's badgering the witness.
Never mind.
I withdraw the question.
I have nothing further.
Counselor.
Tell me again how you're just doing what I taught you.
Willie did you proud.
Nah.
You were right.
It's not gonna be enough.
I took an unnecessary risk.
Yeah, but at the end of the day, I don't think he did any damage to our case.
And, who knows, he may have helped yours.
The jury loved him.
Don't quote me, but I'm starting to think you may win this thing with the right closing argument.
Plus, you gave him an idea.
He wants to subpoena Darius' probation officer to testify.
Really? How's he gonna help? Well, he's not talking about your case.
He's talking about our case.
Watch and learn.
Good morning, Mr.
Chilton.
Now, I understand that you are Darius Lambert Willie Lambert's grandson's probation officer.
Are you aware that he started a business making homemade shaving butter? Objection.
What does this have to do with Mr.
Willie Lambert? What's the relevance, Mr.
Colón? I'll rephrase, Your Honor.
Did my client ever have occasion to show you around his barber shop? Yes, he did.
I stopped in to see where Darius worked, and he gave me a little tour of the place.
Did he happen to lead you over to where his grandson kept his shaving butter? - He did.
- And where was that? I believe it was in the back closet.
- And he left you all alone back there? - Yes.
Told you to open up any box you wanted? I didn't open any boxes.
But you could have.
You wanted to.
I mean, he invited you to.
Yeah.
As a matter of fact, he did.
Now, take a look at this photo.
It's a police photo from the night of the seizure.
Is that the closet you're talking about? - Appears to be.
- Huh.
It's where Darius kept his shaving butter.
But did you know it's also where Darius stashed his counterfeit merchandise, to be sold at the behest of Agent Hill? Again, this jury is not here to decide the Darius Lambert case.
Mr.
Colón, can you connect the dots for me? Of course, Your Honor.
We are alleging that Mr.
Lambert didn't know that counterfeit merchandise was being sold from his shop.
But I submit that this is definitive proof.
Because if Mr.
Lambert would have known that there was contraband back there, he never would have offered his grandson's probation officer to have unfettered access in that area.
Marissa, tell me what you see.
Green.
Nothing but green.
Green as a gooseberry.
Chunk still at it? Still working on his closing argument? Yep.
No sound? You don't want to hear what he's saying? I want to be surprised tomorrow in court.
Hmm.
I was so angry at him yesterday.
The way he defied me.
How dare he believe in himself more than he believes in me? - Kids today.
- Hmm.
My client did it.
We've never denied that.
What we have tried to impress upon you is that this crime never had to happen.
If Agent Hill had never pleaded with my client to sell his counterfeit goods, none of us would be sitting here.
My client wasn't looking for something to sell out of his grandfather's shop.
He just wanted to cut hair and sell his shaving butter.
But here we are.
And here you are.
And if you think that selling cheap copies of expensive purses and wallets and sneakers is worth ten years behind bars worth taking away somebody's 20s will make your neighborhood, your city, your world a safer place then I encourage you to find him guilty.
But if you're like me, and you think that your block, your city, your world would be better served by having a young man who cares so deeply for his family for his grandfather, that he's willing to put in the extra work, and try to add money to his family's business, then I urge you to remember what I said a moment ago.
This crime never had to happen.
This prison sentence never has to happen.
This miscarriage of justice, this destruction of a young man's life never has to happen.
And I would implore you to find my client innocent.
Thank you for your time.
Great job.
Thank you.
Congratulations.
Ah.
Come here, now.
Come here, son.
Come here, son.
Come on, girl.
Come on, now.
Nice work, Counselor.
Thank you for your help.
Thanks for getting involved.
No, thank you for pushing back.
Thank you for letting me.
Uh why don't we all get something to eat.
You must be hungry.
- Yeah! - Yeah? Yeah? Let's go.
Come on.
Oh.
Thank you, again.