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| “ | A lot of those people are going to burn. So what? There are plenty more of them where they came from. | „ |
| ~ Guerra heartlessly dismissing the people who are going to die as a result of his arson scam |
Domingo Guerra is the main antagonist of the Law & Order episode "Heaven". He is a corrupt businessman who orders a club he owns burned down to kill dozens of witnesses to his scam producing and selling fake green cards.
He was portrayed by the late Victor Campos.
Early life[]
An immigrant from Cuba, Guerra became a successful businessman in New York City and a pillar of his community, donating his time, money, and connections to help fellow Central American immigrants move up in business and government. Beneath his philanthropic facade, however, he was little more than a con artist, using his business ties and political clout to cover up a series of fraud and money laundering scams.
His most lucrative scam was producing and selling green cards to undocumented immigrants at $3,000 apiece, which he did with the help of corrupt Immigration and Naturalization Services Agent James Collins. Eventually, however, several of his customers complained upon discovering that the green cards were fake and threatened to go to the police. To silence them, Guerra hired Cesar Pescador, a poor El Salvadoran immigrant from his neighborhood, to burn down El Cielo, a nightclub he owned that was frequented by undocumented immigrants, many of whom had complained about the green cards. Pescador set the fire, which killed 53 people.
"Heaven"[]
NYPD Homicide Sergeant Phil Cerreta and Detective Mike Logan investigate the fire, eventually arresting Pescador, who had been seriously injured in the fire when the plastic tube he had used to smuggle in the gasoline he used to start the fire, burned itself into his leg. When the tube is removed, it proves Pescador's guilt, but he refuses to testify against the man who hired him, whom he calls "el Cubano", fearing that he will have him killed. When Assistant District Attorney Paul Robinette offers him a plea bargain and protection, however, Pescador identifies Guerra as the man who paid him to set the fire.
Executive Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone asks INS Supervising Agent Jose Perez, an old friend and Dartmouth classmate, about Guerra, but dismisses Stone's suspicions. When Stone discovers that Guerra helped Perez get his position, however, he accuses him of corruption, which goads Perez into revealing that there are unsubstantiated rumors that Guerra is selling fake green cards. He also introduces Stone to Collins, who covers for himself by dismissing the green card scam as a rumor.
Stone calls Guerra into his office and threatens to charge him with multiple homicides, so Guerra agrees to plead guilty to a minor fraud charge and pins the fire on Collins, saying that he had nothing to do with it. Robinette talks to a retired professional arsonist who says that Collins paid him for his "expertise" so he could set the nightclub on fire, which gives Stone enough evidence to have both Collins and Guerra arrested. With Pescador's testimony, Stone and Robinette are able to convict Collins and Guerra of multiple murders and immigration fraud, resulting in them both being sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
External links[]
- Domingo Guerra on the Law & Order Wiki
