Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Counselor, It's Chinatown (2019)

Zuleikha Robinson: Vanessa Hadid

Quotes 

• Dominick Carisi Jr. : What the hell was that? The feds can't just waltz in here and take our case.

  Vanessa Hadid : They can. They did. Evidently, my boss has signed off on it. Changs cut a backdoor deal with the DOJ.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : No, we had them. International sex trafficking, money laundering.

  Vanessa Hadid : They trumped that. National security, intel on China. Whatever it is, we'll never know. That's why she confessed so easily. She had this in her back pocket.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : I don't think so. Her confession was sincere.

  Vanessa Hadid : Either way, it never happened.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : So, what? "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown"? Did you know this was coming?

  Vanessa Hadid : No. I give you my word. The D.A. didn't even give me the courtesy of a heads-up. I'm sorry.

• Vanessa Hadid : You got the Changs to agree to plead guilty to sex trafficking?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : And extortion and money laundering. She just... she just confessed.

  Vanessa Hadid : Why?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Because she's guilty. Also, I think she's worried about her husband. He's old, he's frail. The deal is that he knows nothing.

  Vanessa Hadid : All right, I'll take it. She's a big fish. Reel her in.

• Judge Gloria Pepitone : Christine Chang, how do you plead?

  Counselor Josh Wang : At this time, Your Honor...

  AUSA Mark Sullivan : [entering]  Excuse me, Your Honor. Mark Sullivan, Southern District of New York. I have an arrest warrant for Christine Chang on federal charges.

  Judge Gloria Pepitone : Approach.

  Vanessa Hadid : Objection, Your Honor. We had no knowledge of this

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : We have a plea deal in place.

  AUSA Mark Sullivan : Not anymore. This case has international implications. We've requested the suspension of the State's case to investigate and prosecute with global disposition. The D.A. has agreed to allow us to take the lead on this.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Your Honor, this is...

  Judge Gloria Pepitone : It's out of my hands, Mr. Carisi. The State's case is hereby suspended. I am releasing Christine Chang to federal custody. Bailiff?

  Counselor Josh Wang : [leaving with Christine]  Better luck next time, counselor.

• Sergeant Joe Chin : Snakeheads smuggle girls from China, charge the family with insurmountable debt.

  Amanda Rollins : Which the girls are forced to pay off doing sex work at massage parlors.

  Vanessa Hadid : Yes, we all know how this works, and we're no longer supposed to arrest the girls, so the cycle never ends.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Which is why we're working our way to the top. Avi Olin here, he holds leases on a dozen slum buildings housing massage parlors.

  Vanessa Hadid : You dug him out behind his LLCs? He got sloppy?

  Amanda Rollins : No, his son did. We got him on a rape charge.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Yeah, to keep his son out of prison, Avi has given us Arthur and Christine Chang.

  Vanessa Hadid : You do know the Changs are one of Park Avenue's most prominent power couples? Hospital and museum boards, Asian charities.

  Sergeant Joe Chin : The classic Chinese-American success story, except they're also sex traffickers.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Avi Olin has agreed to testify that the Changs are behind every shadow spa company that he leased to.

  Vanessa Hadid : And the Changs will argue Mr. Olin cut a deal to save his son. Even if they do own the parlors, how can we prove they know what goes on inside?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Ms. Hadid, what do you mean?

  Vanessa Hadid : Hard evidence that they're behind the trafficking, or this is a no-go.