Paula Foster

Paula Foster is a hidden villainess from "Lost Reputation" and "Above Suspicion," Law & Order: SVU 's two-part, two-hour Season Fourteen opener.

She was played by Paget Brewster, who voiced Gretchen Mercer on Family Guy.

Paula Foster is a Bureau Chief ADA and the head of the DA's Integrity Unit, but as revealed later on, she was part of a conspiracy to frame Capt. Donald Cragen. She was blackmailed by Marvin Exley, the attorney for madam Delia Wilson, into working for Delia. In her role, Paula looked the other way regarding smaller crimes, but once Delia's rival, Bart Ganzel, began running his own business, Paula was sent to investigate him. After Cragen was set up (by Ganzel) for Carissa's murder, the evil Paula managed to manipulate Delia's case to make sure that the prostitution charges she was arrested for were dropped. She was paid handsomely for her deeds, with her funds transferred to an offshore account in Anguilla.

Benson had figured that Paula was involved when she saw a photo of Paula's young daughter, Sarah, on her desk. After learning about Paula's role, Benson confronted the villainess while she was with Sarah, who was diagnosed with Lobstein's syndrome, and after the reveal, Paula stated that Benson couldn't understand because she's not a mother, and she claimed that she had no idea what Delia was really into until it was too late. Paula was arrested for her crimes, with Benson opting to arrest Paula without Sarah witnessing.