Daniel Tenofsky, a respected ADA and old friend of McCoy, is murdered. Inconsistencies in his personal records lead the detectives to discover that Tenofsky was not who he said he was. His real name was Jacob Dieter, and he stole the identity of Daniel Tenofskie (slightly different spelling); who is still alive and never even met Dieter. Because Dieter wasn't a qualified lawyer, a judge requests McCoy review some of "Tenofsky's" cases.
McCoy and Southerlyn find that the case file relating to the murder of journalist Bobby Parenti is missing numerous key documents. Parenti's ostensible killer is Franco Tortomassi, a senior member of the Masucci Crime Family. Two other Masucci associates, Tony "Biscuits" Biscotti and Freddy "Books" Libretti, supposedly testified against Tortomassi before a Grand Jury but then Tenofsky abruptly transferred divisions without bringing the case to trial.
Further investigation reveals that Parenti himself was part of the Masucci Family, and told others that Biscuits and Books wanted to kill him. With evidence that a call that lured Tenofsky to his death was made from a restaurant Biscuits' uncle owned, McCoy charges Biscuits and Books with murder. Even though Tenofsky offered them immunity from prosecution, it's not valid since there is no proof they ever testified.
A document left in the original case file suggests Parenti was buried under a bridge, which proves true. Biscuits and Books insist Tortomassi ordered them to kill both Tenofsky and Parenti. Their lawyer, William Wachtler, agrees a plea deal with McCoy; and Tortomassi is charged. But McCoy notices that Books' and Biscuits' testimonies at Tortomassi's trial do not add up. They are clearly slipping up in a cover story Wachtler gave them.
McCoy and Southerlyn discover that Wachtler met the real Daniel Tenofskie at law school, therefore he knew that "Tenofsky" (Dieter) was faking. He blackmailed Tenofsky into destroying the key documents in the case, but Tenofsky left behind evidence of where Parenti's body was so that Biscuits and Books could be brought to justice. They killed him because Parenti's body was likely to be found during an upcoming renovation of the bridge.
Tortomassi is released and Biscuits, Books, and Wachtler are all jailed. When Southerlyn asks what to do with Tenofsky's personal belongings, McCoy reflects that they'll never know who "Tenofsky" really was.
This episode contains examples of:
- Amoral Attorney: Knowing that the person in the DA office claiming to be Daniel Tenofsky is really a fake, Wachtler used this fact to blackmail "Tenofsky" to destroy the case against his clients.
- Constructive Body Disposal: Parenti's body was hidden in a construction site of a bridge.
- Everyone Has Standards:
- Tenofsky left evidence as to where Parenti's body was so he could make sure Biscuits and Books would eventually be convicted.
- Franco Tortomassi is a very "old-school" mobster, who avoids killing cops and DAs, and is deeply offended at having been arrested for such a crime.
- Frame-Up: Wachtler arranged with Biscuits and Books to try to frame Tortomassi for Parenti's murder, and later Tenofsky's too.
- I Coulda Been a Contender!: The real Tenofskie wanted to be a lawyer but he simply wasn't up to the study required. Because he dropped out of law school and never went into practice, this gave Dieter the chance to steal his identity.
- Left Hanging: It's never explained why Jacob Dieter wanted to steal Tenofskie's identity (deliberately, because McCoy himself will never know.)
- Mysterious Past: Jacob Dieter had one. He has no next of kin back home in Phoenix, Arizona, suggesting that the brother he mentioned in passing does not actually exist. He graduated magna cum laude with a pre-law degree and finished in the top 5% in his LSAT but, for reasons unknown, failed to proceed to law school, instead stealing Daniel Tenofskie's identity.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: "Biscuits" and "Books."
- Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: According to McCoy, Tenofsky operated on this principle.
