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| “ | I know things. I know about that baby. Trust me, from one parent to another, you don't wanna do this. | „ |
| ~ Perez threatening Olivia Benson's adopted son. |
Angel Perez is the overarching antagonist of the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Spring Awakening" and the main antagonist of "Girls Disappeared". He is the head of a sex trafficking ring that exploits girls and young women.
He was portrayed by Manny Perez, who also portrayed Jorge Galvez in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Overview[]
Perez is the head of a sex trafficking ring based in Mexico, laundering the proceeds of pimping women and young girls through his ride-sharing business, Quickride, which he runs in New York City with his wife Mira. His men kidnap girls from Vargas, Mexico, and take them to Perez's mansion, where he would "break them in" by raping them. He then has them smuggled into New York City, where pimps working for him sell the girls on Craigslist. He also impregnates many of them, and has his mother raise the children.
He eventually "promotes" one of his prostitutes, Selena Cruz, by making her his enforcer, tasking her with "breaking" the new girls so he does not have to be personally involved in the business, lowering his risk of getting caught. He ensures her loyalty by threatening to kill her son, Miguel, if she betrays him.
Biography[]
In "Girls Disappeared"[]
When the NYPD's Special Victims Unit arrests Ellie Porter, one of Perez's prostitutes, she agrees to testify against Perez, who retaliates by giving his gang the "green light" to kill her. Perez's men then gang-rape her and burn her alive. He strong-armed one of his pimps, Little Tino, into taking the blame by threatening his family.
When another of his prostitutes, Luna Garcia, is arrested by SVU, Perez orders Cruz to have her killed. Cruz sends assassin Diego Ramirez to kill her, but SVU Detectives Fin Tutuola and Amanda Rollins save her and arrest him. Ramirez agrees to testify against Perez's gang, so Perez orders his assassination, as well as those of his "top earner" Missy Brooks, Little Tino, and Porter's infant son Noah, who has recently been adopted by SVU Sergeant Olivia Benson. Ramirez and Brooks are murdered, but Little Tino survives being stabbed in prison, while Benson's nanny prevents Noah from being harmed.
Benson and Detective Dominick Carisi, Jr. go to Quickride's corporate headquarters to talk to Perez, only to find that the office has been robbed, which Perez blames them for. The SVU team meets with a federal task force that is investigating the sex trafficking ring, and the federal agents show them a picture of suspected ringleader Teodoro Juarez - who they recognize as none other than Angel Perez, who had his own office burglarized to destroy evidence linking him to the prostitution ring.
Benson persuades Cruz to turn on Perez by promising to reunite her with Miguel and put them both in a witness protection program. After procuring signed statements from Cruz, Little Tino, and six of their prostitutes, Benson and her detectives go to Perez's home in Staten Island to arrest him. As he is being handcuffed, he tells Mira to call their lawyer, and then tries to get Benson to back down by making a veiled threat against Noah. When Benson does not submit, Perez breaks free of his arresting officers and pulls a gun on her, prompting Tutuola to shoot him in the chest, killing him instantly.
External Links[]
- Angel Perez on the Law & Order Wiki
