Prince of the City Page #10

than you admit to.

Well, they're lying.

All right, then. Let's begin.

You don't mind if there's

a stenographer present?

Not at all.

I'm going outside for some air.

It smells in here.

Yeah, we don't mind.

Ned, let me just have

just a minute alone, all right?

I've got a band

around my head so tight...

Stay in sight, Danny.

- Jesus, Nick. What...?

- Danny, they're looking to hurt you.

They think you should be hit.

F***, who's that crazy?

I'm surrounded day and night.

Yeah, like right now?

They wanted me to do it.

I told them no. I said, "Hey, this kid's

my cousin, he's my uncle's son."

I told them no.

- Who they gonna get?

- Who knows?

I told them I owed you a warning.

I said I wouldn't interfere.

I'm telling you now.

You watch yourself.

If it was me,

I'd watch those f***ing guards.

- Oh, no, Nick.

- Danny.

They gotta look the wrong way

for a second, that's all.

Sh*t. Anybody can be hit,

you know that.

You gonna be all right?

Danny?

Tug and Ned, this is my cousin Nick.

How you doing?

Yeah, how are you?

So, Nick, are you

gonna be okay or what?

Who knows?

I never hid the fact you're a cop.

Black sheep of the family.

- How's my father looking?

- Looking good.

- How's your father looking?

- Not so good.

Take it easy, huh?

Don't make it tough on us, Danny.

You can't afford it, we can't afford it.

I'm sorry.

We'll come back

to those three acts, detective.

Let me first ask you

a very simple question.

In addition to those three acts

you're gonna describe for us...

...have you ever engaged

in any other misconduct of any kind?

- No, sir.

- Never?

- Never.

- Now, detective, will you tell the jury...

...exactly what those three acts were

and how they took place?

First time I did something was when

a meeting was set up between myself...

I wanna go back to the beginning,

Dan.

I want to hear again,

but in much finer detail...

...much finer detail...

...about those three acts

of misconduct...

...which you claim

are the only misdeeds you committed...

...in the 11 years

you were a policeman.

Now, when you set up contact between

Rocky Gazzo and Detective Don Logan...

...did you believe yourself to be

committing a crime?

From the time you contacted

Mr. Simonetta...

...you knew

you were committing a crime?

Well, what did you do

with the money you extorted?

How much did you say? Would you

repeat that amount for the jury?

The exact amount was how much?

Come now, detective, 11 years a cop,

eight years in Narcotics...

...and you never once

made an illegal wiretap?

You never gave drugs to informants,

to poor junkies crying out for help?

- Never once?

- I never did.

No, not me, him. He did it.

Congratulations, Danny. Stay with it,

now. This is just the beginning.

I'm District Attorney D'Amato,

Louis D'Amato.

We'll be working on the Kelso case.

- We're gonna lock up another lawyer.

- Good.

I'm Federal Attorney Margutta.

I'm handed the Queens DA case.

- What's his name?

- Eckhart. Good to see you.

You just been in my...

Attorney Leary, IRS.

Assistant DA Silver.

- Jim Costa. How are you, detective?

- Yeah, nice to see you.

Special Investigator Goldstein.

How do you do?

Hey, baby face.

Easy, gentlemen, easy.

All right, it's cool, guys.

The King never carries.

The King works with the mind.

- How you doing, King?

- Not the best, baby face.

The King has fallen on hard times.

- Sorry to hear that.

- Yeah. The government's cut me out...

...I've blown my car, my boat,

my ponies.

The mortgage is due, baby face...

...and I am snowed under

by all manner of problems. You dig?

- I'm not sure.

- My man, I am flat broke.

I got five kids and a wife.

Same as you, baby face.

Same problem.

I want you to understand that.

I'll see you around.

It do look likely.

Looks like we'd better add

that one to the list.

He's not a doer, he's a talker.

Which is probably worse.

He talks, you deny.

"Another 1971 case in which I received

narcotics directly from Ciello...

...involved the arrest of three people

at a Spanish grocery...

...on the southeast corner of

122nd street and Lexington Avenue.

A seizure was made at the house of

heroin, paraphernalia and guns.

Ciello handed me three to four ounces of

heroin. " Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Dan, this is George Polito,

chief prosecutor, Eastern District.

- Mind if I sit in?

- Something here you're working on?

I hope not. How are you Louis?

George is on special assignment.

- You took the French Connection case?

- I still don't believe it.

120 pounds of heroin waiting to be

used as evidence just vanishes?

From a police property office?

It's a farce.

Not to me. I'm gonna nail whoever did it,

even if it means arresting the whole SIU.

Well, George is interested

in the King's deposition.

Clearly, the King has

a lot of contacts with the SIU.

So he claims.

But it's a known fact he was on

the federal payroll for four years.

- Let's stop the quibbling.

- Thank you. I'm anxious to hear this.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Does the King suggest I was involved

in the French Connection rip-off?

Let's get on with reading.

"To my personal knowledge,

Ciello supplied heroin...

...to many other individuals

I was personally involved with.

On at least a dozen occasions,

Ciello and Marinaro notified me...

...they had a package of heroin for me."

- Bullshit.

"Slim took a whole kilo each time, for

which he paid approximately $32,000.

For a long period of time, I gave

Ciello approximately $ 100 a week."

- This is sickening.

- He cites 14 other specific instances...

...of exchanges of heroin between Ciello

and himself and other perpetrators...

...and says

he bought you three automobiles.

- Oh, balls.

- lf this is true, Dan...

...one goddamn word of it,

then all our cases are down the drain.

I'm never gonna get through this.

I mean, it's a f***ing nightmare,

and it never stops.

I mean, I'm being forced to sit here,

listening to this sh*t...

...having to defend myself

to the guys I'm working with?

I mean, are we

supposed to be partners...

...or what?

- Dan. Dan.

No one but the King, only the King...

...has accused you of anything.

What we must do is put the deposition

and its author in the shredder.

And we must do this

as expeditiously as possible...

...because Blomberg asked

for a reversal of his conviction...

...on the basis of this affidavit.

I ask again, is this deposition true?

Any instance or detail?

Any goddamn word of it?

If it is, I'll be practicing divorce law

in West Virginia.

None of it is true.

Gentlemen,

I think you should know this.

Nobody I've spoken to has ever

not mentioned your name, Ciello.

You know what I hear

from every SIU man?

Quote,

"I'm not saying I did anything...

...but if so,

can I get the same deal as Ciello?"

- lf I heard it once, I heard it 50 times.

- Yeah, and you'll hear it 16 more, Polito.

Because there are 70 detectives

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