Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Episode 11.22 Ace

SVU suspects a serial rapist is attacking pregnant women throughout the city, the common tie being all the women stopped at the City Hall subway station. Marlow joins the detectives to help track down the attacker. Meanwhile, Fin finds someone who witnessed one of the attacks.

The latest rape victim is pregnant Bulgarian immigrant Sophia Zorav, who slips out of the hospital before she can be questioned. After Fin and Munch bring in their rapist, Marlowe alerts detectives that her case is out the door unless they can find Sophia. Marlowe doesn't trust their witness since he's a bit crazy. Benson tells Marlowe to trust their DNA evidence.

Benson and Stabler discover it was Sophia's Aunt Lili who helped arrange her visit to New York while she was eight months pregnant. Benson and Stabler head to Lili's to question her. Instead they find a bloody ransacked house with no sign of Lili. Warner tells the detectives there's evidence that Lili was shot in the head, but there's no body. A cell phone hidden in the house displays the number of gynecologist Dr. Elroy.

A blocked number on Lili's phone is traced to a Glenn and Beth Butler, so the detectives visit the couple. The Butlers appear jumpy and call their lawyer. Back at SVU, the couple admits that after trying every infertility treatment with Dr. Elroy, he suggested adoption. Sophia contacted the couple, offering to sell her baby to them.

It turns out that Lili was part of a huge baby trafficking ring that transports pregnant women from Bulgaria to New York. Benson and Stabler go undercover as the Butlers to meet with Mr. Brooks, the man who helped broker their baby deal. Mr. Brooks is very straight with Benson and Stabler, telling them he needs $1 million to make the final arrangements and he'll contact them with more instructions.

Mr. Brooks is really Anton Petrov, formerly of the Bulgarian Embassy, who now works for the Bulgarian mob in New York. He contacts the detectives with news that a baby boy has been born, and asks them to drop off the money at Morningside Park. Marlowe needs to witness the transaction for her case, but the detectives are more concerned with finding Sophia, since she'll likely be murdered now that her baby's been born.

Cragen calls out Marlowe for giving orders to his detectives. He reminds her that when she was a cop, her recklessness almost killed two undercover cops. Marlowe's no longer a cop, and Cragen wants backup for Stabler and Benson.

Stabler and Benson make the transaction with Anton. He's just about to pull out a gun, when they arrest him on the spot. Meanwhile, Cragen and police swarm a warehouse where Dr. Elroy has been located. Just as a hit man is about to murder Sophia, Cragen shoots him, saving Sophia's life. Back at the hospital, Sophia refuses to name names out of fear she'll be murdered. She just wants to return to Bulgaria with her baby boy.

Back at SVU, Anton insists he'll be deported to Bulgaria because there's no proof he even knew Sophia's Aunt Lili. Marlowe and Stabler team up for the interrogation and lie to Anton, claiming Sophia ratted him out. Anton tells Marlowe she'll have no case because all her witnesses will end up dead.

Dr. Elroy wants to cop a plea and serve his time instead of turning against Anton. Instead, one of Anton's attorneys takes on Dr. Elroy's case. Meanwhile, Marlowe tells detectives that two immigration officials were taking Sophia and her baby into protective custody when their car exploded, killing all four.

At the arraignment, the judge orders both Anton and Dr. Elroy to remain in custody until trial. As both men head back to jail, Marlowe receives a note written by Dr. Elroy, which she presents to the judge in the bathroom. Elroy doesn't trust the lawyer that's representing both him and Anton.

Marlowe tells Elroy she's arranged for a new defense attorney to "shadow defend" him in court. Anton's attorney won't know, because Elroy will pretend nothing's changed. A new deal is in play: Dr. Elroy will tell the judge everything he knows and cop a plea in chambers, while pretending he's on trial with Anton back in court. Dr. Elroy agrees to Marlowe's deal.

Dr. Elroy perjures himself on the stand, knowing the only time he really needs to tell the truth is in the judge's chambers, per his deal. Elroy claims all the documents that the State's using against him have been forged. In the judge's chambers, Elroy admits to all the crimes he's committed at Anton's behest - he even tells Marlowe where she can find Lili's body.

Before the defense wraps up their cross examination of Dr. Elroy, they learn that Lili's body has been located. Since only Elroy and Anton knew where the body was located, they accuse Elroy of being an informant for the DA. The defense orders Lili's corpse to be removed from evidence and the judge rules in their favor.

Marlowe tells the detectives she has one more trick up her sleeve, then calls Anton and his attorney into her office. Both men are sure Marlowe doesn't have a case, until she produces Sophia. The bomb Anton rigged in the police caravan went off while the car was empty. Sophia will testify against Anton for all of his crimes, including the execution of Lili.