Return (Law & Order)
Return is the 234th episode of NBC's legal drama Law & Order and the fifth episode of the eleventh season.
Original air date: November 15, 2000.
Previous episode: 'Standoff'
Next episode: 'Burn Baby Burn'
Credits
Director: Stephen Wertimer
Writer: Aaron Zelman[1]
Guest stars
Evan Handler as Eli Becker
Sam Schacht as Nathan Becker
Bruce Altman as Brad Feldman
Joe Maruzzo as Sal Bonafiglio
Antone Pagan as Ronnie Ortega
Bruce Ornstein as Councilman Lev Berenson
Rick D. Wasserman as David Caplan
Matthew Dixon as Eddie Novello
Plot
Three skylarking high-school students stumble through the open basement door of a leather clothing store and discover a man shot to death. Arriving at the scene, Briscoe and Green assume the victim, store co-owner Saul Caplan, interrupted a robbery in progress; he has a baseball bat in his hand, the lock on the basement door has been forced, the cash register has been emptied and several leather coats are missing. "Looks like the pitcher blew one by him," says Briscoe.
Interviewing a few locals, the detectives learn that a transvestite prostitute named Toreador acquired an expensive leather coat the previous night. Briscoe and Green find Toreador wearing the coat which is from the victim's store, Becker & Caplan. She/he claims the coat was a gift from a client, Ronnie Ortega, who turns out to be Becker & Caplan's delivery driver. Ortega admits stealing the coat but denies killing Mr. Caplan. Ortega also has an alibi for the night of the murder.
The police forensics team discover the basement door lock was opened with a key, despite the appearance of being forced. Briscoe and Green conclude the robbery and murder were an inside job. They visit the home of Caplan's business partner Nathan Becker, where the shiva for Saul Caplan is taking place. Becker is unhappy with the police presence during the mourning ritual but answers their brief questions. One of the employees, Sal Bonafiglio, has a history of burglary convictions and the police bring him in for questioning. Bonafiglio is hostile and defensive in response to questions, leading Briscoe to conclude Bonafiglio is "involved somehow." From Bonafiglio's criminal record the detectives identify his former robbery partner, Eddie Novello. Briscoe and Green wait for Eddie outside his apartment building and find him with a bag full of leather coats from Becker & Caplan. They arrest him.
During interrogation it soon becomes clear Eddie is simple-minded. He admits to the break-in and murder, saying the purpose of the break-in was to kill Caplan, after which Bonafiglio told him he could take whatever else he wanted. Bonafiglio also gave Eddie $5000 for the hit. Briscoe and Green subsequently arrest Bonafiglio, who continues to deny any involvement. Van Buren tells her detectives the case against Bonafiglio is weak, relying on the testimony of the highly suggestible Eddie. Furthermore Bonafiglio has no apparent motive, being a trouble-free employee for Becker & Caplan for several years, and examination of his financial records show he could not have afforded to pay Eddie the money for the killing. The detectives are compelled to investigate further.
Briscoe and Green discover Bonafiglio frequented a nightclub named Red, which doesn't open until 2AM. "Do you want a nap before we go?" Green asks Briscoe. At the club they discover Bonafiglio used to visit along with Nathan Becker's son Eli, who also works at Becker & Caplan. Eli bought some cocaine and sold some Becker & Caplan coats at Red. The detectives visit the Becker residence again to interview Eli, with Nathan Becker protesting strenuously once more. Eli admits to visiting the club and buying cocaine "in the past" but denies selling stolen coats. The police check the store's sales records, for which Eli was responsible, and they appear correct, but upon further investigation of inventory they discover many missing coats. Ronnie Ortega admits Eli Becker ordered many more coats than appear on the store's financial records and forced Ortega to keep quiet about it. The police assume Caplan found out about Eli Becker stealing and selling coats and thus Eli had Caplan killed. Briscoe and Green set out to arrest Eli Becker as he arrives for work, but he doesn't arrive after the detectives couldn't find him at home. At Becker & Caplan, they ask Nathan Becker where his son is. "Somewhere where you can't get him," Mr. Becker replies. Eli Becker has flown to Israel and is claiming citizenship under the Law of Return.
As the DA's office attempts to extradite Eli Becker back to New York, DA Nora Lewin hears protests against the extradition from Councilman Berenson. The councilman argues strongly regarding the meaning of the right of Return to Jewish people, and points out Eli Becker is in prison in Israel (citing the Jonathan Pollard case), while an Israeli court considers the extradition request. McCoy, also present, points out Jonathan Pollard is in an American prison for a crime committed in the USA, and Lewin argues that isn't the point; Eli Becker is wanted for murder in New York. Carmichael investigates further, discovering Eli Becker was adopted and his birth-mother was named Mary-Elizabeth Kelly. "She's about as Jewish as I am," says McCoy. The DAs set out to challenge the legitimacy of Eli Becker's conversion to Judaism in a Rabbinical Court, with the hope that insufficient evidence of Becker's Jewish identity will negate his right of Return to Israel. At a Rabbinical Court in Brooklyn, Carmichael establishes that Eli Becker was born to a Roman Catholic woman and adopted by the Beckers at age 6 months. Carmichael states that conversion to Judaism requires circumcision, the taking of a Hebrew name and a ritual bath known as a mikvah. The Becker family's lawyer, Brad Feldman, provides evidence of Eli's circumcision and Hebrew naming, but none for the mikvah. Accordingly, the rabbis rule that Eli Becker is not Jewish, prompting an angry outburst against them from Nathan Becker.
Lewin is visited again by Councilman Berenson, who continues to try and persuade the DA not to extradite Becker. When Lewin points out Becker isn't even Jewish and has no right of Return, Berenson argues Eli Becker has lived all his life to this point believing he is a Jew and goes on to describe the persecution Jews have experienced throughout history, and argues this should be taken into consideration in the proceedings. McCoy scoffs at this, asking if he has to take the ethnic background of every defendant into account. Berenson is insulted by the suggestion that Jews are "the same as Koreans" (McCoy's example) and goes on to say there will be "political consequences" if the DA continues to pursue Eli Becker. After Berenson leaves, Lewin admits to McCoy she is worried by the political threats, but instructs McCoy to pursue the case normally.
Israel extradites Eli Backer back to the USA and New York where he is charged with Saul Caplan's murder. He refuses to answer any questions, allowing Feldman to assert his innocence. But evidence begins to mount against him. McCoy offers Bonafiglio a deal for his testimony, and Bonafiglio states Eli was making so much money from selling the stolen coats he couldn't bear to give it up when discovered by Caplan. Bonafiglio claims Eli paid him $10,000 to arrange Saul Caplan's murder. Interviewed by Carmichael, Saul Caplan's grandson David hints at some dark moments in Eli's past but refuses to testify against him, saying he loves Eli. David Caplan stands to inherit his grandfather's share of the business, whereas Eli Becker is not in line to inherit a share of the business.
The trial commences. Ronnie Ortega and Sal Bonafiglio give their testimony, but Feldman establishes that Ortega also stole coats from the company "for your transvestite prostitute girlfriend" and that Bonafiglio made a deal for his testimony. During a recess Feldman makes an offer to McCoy, that Eli serve a negotiated sentence in an Israeli prison. Nathan Becker, continuing to assert his son's complete innocence, argues with Feldman over this. McCoy rejects the offer, stating he intends to seek the death penalty if Eli is found guilty, which shocks the Beckers into silence.
Eli Becker takes the stand. At first he calmly denies his involvement in the murder, but McCoy presses on the legitimacy of Eli's status in his world; his adoption and non-Jewishness; his extradition and essential rejection by Israel; the fact he will never be more than an employee at his father's business, Becker & Caplan. Eventually Eli produces a vociferous outburst over these, in particular the fact he will never inherit a share of the business, for which he blames Saul Caplan and over which he expresses jealousy towards David Caplan. During another recess Feldman says Eli will make an allocution if McCoy agrees not to seek the death penalty. McCoy accepts. Nathan Becker continues to protest but Eli silences him and agrees to the deal, admitting to paying Bonafiglio to have Caplan murdered. He receives a minimum prison sentence of 30 years.
Notes
This episode is based on the Samuel Sheinbein case.
Carmichael's description of the requirements for conversion to Judaism may not be accurate.