Maurice Levy (The Wire)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Maurice "Maury" Levy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| First appearance | "The Target" (episode 1.01) |
| Last appearance | "–30–" (episode 5.10) |
| Cause/reason | End of Series;Continues on as Defense attorney |
| Created by | David Simon |
| Portrayed by | Michael Kostroff |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Defense attorney |
Maurice "Maury" Levy is a fictional lawyer on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Michael Kostroff. He is a skilled defense attorney and was kept on retainer by the drug-trafficking Barksdale crew, who represented the organization's members at trials and advised Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell on how to avoid investigations. Levy is presented as corrupt and unscrupulous, willing to defend any drug client without taking into account the source of their defense payment.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Season 1
Levy represented Avon's nephew D'Angelo Barksdale in the "Poo" Blanchard murder trial and successfully returned a not guilty verdict. Levy's case was greatly improved when Nakeesha Lyles, a key witness, changed her story and refused to identify Barksdale in court. The next time D'Angelo was arrested, Levy arrived in the interrogation just in time to stop D'Angelo from writing a potentially incriminating letter. He got charges dropped against young Barksdale dealer Bodie Broadus in juvenile court, claiming to the judge that the work was part of his firm's pro bono outreach program. Levy also advised Stringer Bell and Avon on how to protect themselves when they suspected they were being investigated. His assertion that they should tie up any loose ends, particularly those not bound by ties of loyalty to them, led to the death of Nakeesha Lyles.
When Barksdale front operator Orlando was arrested for attempting to purchase drugs, Levy visited him in prison with papers to remove him from the liquor licence of his club. Barksdale soldier Savino was later arrested, following a failed undercover operation which resulted in the shooting of Orlando and Detective Greggs. Levy represented Savino and managed to limit his charge to a 3-year plea bargain for an attempt to supply fake narcotics, as he was not directly implicated in the shooting. Later, Levy was instrumental in damage-control when the Barksdale organization was struck by multiple arrests. He ensured that D'Angelo was not kept in police protection so that his mother could convince him not to testify against Avon.
[edit] Season 2
Levy successfully negotiated Avon's first parole hearing in exchange for information on a corrupt guard following the deaths of several inmates. (Avon had actually set up the deaths to frame the guard, with the reduced sentence as his goal.) He was less successful in his defense of "Bird" Hilton in the William Gant murder trial, particularly struggling with the cross examination of Omar Little. When Levy attempted to undermine him as a credible witness, describing him as an amoral parasite feeding off the Baltimore drug trade, Omar pointed out the same is true of Levy, saying "I got the shotgun; you got the briefcase. It's all in the game". Levy was struck speechless by the accusation, and Bird was sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge Daniel Phelan, though Levy maintains (accurately) that Omar is perjuring himself when he claims to have witnessed the crime.
[edit] Season 3
After Stringer is conned by Senator Clay Davis, Levy chastises him, saying that he was aware of Davis's reputation for taking contributions without exerting any actual influence. Levy continued to defend Avon and most of his organization when a second wiretap investigation led to a mass prosecution. Avon was returned to prison. Levy also represented Poot Carr, who received a four year sentence.
[edit] Season 4
Levy is seen briefly, representing Anthony Wardell in the high profile Braddock murder case. He allowed his client to undergo a polygraph test because he was convinced of his innocence on the charge.[1][2]
[edit] Season 5
Levy hires ex-police officer Thomas "Herc" Hauk as an investigator. Levy encourages Herc to use the firms expense account to pay for officers tabs, in exchange for information.[3][4] After being introduced to Marlo Stanfield by Proposition Joe, Levy counsels Stanfield on money laundering.[5] Levy later suspects that Marlo's arrest is due to an illegal wiretap (which coincidentally enough was based on information given from Herc) and sees an opportunity to get the charges against Marlo's criminal organization dropped. Levy however faces legal problems of his own when Grand Jury Prosecutor Gary DiPasquale implicates Levy to Baltimore Police Detective Lester Freamon for purchasing court documents and search warrants to be used in tipping off various drug dealers in their charges. Realizing Levy's personal troubles and the tainted evidence against the Stanfield Organization, ASA Rhonda Pearlman negotiates the charges against Stanfield's crew. It is agreed upon that Marlo will not face criminal charges if he leaves the drug life behind, Levy will be free of prosecution, the State's Attorney's office will not be charged with allowing an illegal wiretap, Chris Partlow will plead to life without parole for the vacant murders, and that the remaining Stanfield Lieutenants will plead to possession charges.[6][7]
[edit] Production
[edit] Origin
David Simon (who is Jewish) has said that the character is Jewish because "when I was covering the drug trade for 13 years for the Sun, most of the major drug lawyers were Jewish" and that "Anyone who is anyone in law enforcement in Baltimore knows the three or four guys Maury Levy is patterned on." In addition, the show has named other, unseen characters as heavyweight lawyers for drug dealers and some of them have Jewish-sounding surnames. [8] Levy is also heard throughout the series saying words in Yiddish at times (most notably referring to Clay Davis as a Ganef, the Yiddish translation for Thief, and saying someone who had done great work for him was now in his Mishpoceh, which is a Yiddish word for extended family) and is referred to by Avon's sister Brianna as "that Jew lawyer" confirming his character's religion on the show. It is said that his character is meant to be an opposite of the show's other most recurring Jewish character, prosecutor Rhonda Pearlman, who is a conscientious attorney, unlike Levy, a venal and amoral defense attorney.
[edit] References
- ^ Character profile - Maurice "Maury" Levy. HBO (2004). Retrieved on 2006-07-24.
- ^ Org Chart - The Street. HBO (2004). Retrieved on 2006-07-22.
- ^ "More with Less". Joe Chappelle, Writ. David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story). The Wire. HBO. 2008-01-06. No. 1, season 5.
- ^ The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less. HBO (2008). Retrieved on 2008-01-22.
- ^ "Transitions". Dan Attias, Writ. Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story). The Wire. HBO. 2008-01-27. No. 4, season 5.
- ^ "-30-". Joe Chappelle, Writ. David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story). The Wire. HBO. 2008-03-09. No. 10, season 5.
- ^ The Wire episode guide - episode 60 -30-. HBO (2008).
- ^ Curt Schleier (2006). ‘Wire’ creator finds a muse on the streets of Baltimore. jewishsf.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
