Throughout five seasons of Law & Order: Organized Crime, Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and the team at the Organized Crime Control Bureau have tackled some of the most dangerous villains and organizations, domestically and internationally. Some have worked alone, while others have worked as a collective, terrorizing New York City with their brand of violence.
Stabler’s return to the Law & Order universe has been a trying, violent, and emotional one, and his work with the OCCB has brought him close to the edge, both with his career and his life. While fans await the news of Law & Order: Organized Crime season 6, we’re looking back on the top ten most dangerous villains in the show’s history.
10
Three Kings
Season 5
The first villainous organization in Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5, the Three Kings were responsible for the near-death of Elliot Stabler and set the trend for the rest of the season. The crime syndicate, run by three brothers, trafficked young women for sex, was infiltrated by Stabler in episode one of season 5, with deadly results for the group and for their victims.
The first crime syndicate to be prominently featured on the show after its move to Peacock, the visuals, and the untimely end of one of its principal members, Vic Kingman (Blake DeLong), set the more gritty, violent tone for the season, and the tone for just how violent things would get.
Stabler’s interaction with the group left him near death, and the death of Bunny (Maggie Toomey) played a pivotal role in episode two. The first crime syndicate to be prominently featured on the show after its move to Peacock, the visuals, and the untimely end of one of its principal members, Vic Kingman (Blake DeLong), set the more gritty, violent tone for the season, and the tone for just how violent things would get.
9
Shadowërk
Season 3
In the season 3 finale of Law & Order: Organized Crime, Stabler and Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) work together in a task force to bring down Shadowërk, a group dedicated to revenge for hire that caused murders and rapes across the world. Its creator, Kyle Wilkie (Winter Andrews), sets out to stop them both by placing hits on each of them, causing Benson to take a bullet by a would-be assassin.
As the group didn’t have a main face until Wilkie was discovered as its leader, Shadowërk put Benson and Stabler in immediate and present danger at every turn. Wilkie’s eventual capture brings the danger to an end, but not before a hectic and nearly lethal encounter with Shadowërk.
8
Camorra
Season 5
Virginia Sherwood/PEACOCK
Three Kings wasn’t the only dangerous organization in season 5, and no one was as violent as the Camorra. Led by Roman Spezzano (Alberto Frezza), it was the first time the crime syndicate had been seen stateside, and brought a vicious gang war to the streets of New York.
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In what was a hectic set of episodes, Stabler and the OCCB worked to stop the war with the help of Isabella Spezzano (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), a former confidential informant. With Isabella’s story still unfinished, and the Camorra’s tentacles still in New York, we’re not sure if we’ve seen the last of them just yet.
7
The Brotherhood
Season 2
In the wake of Richard Wheatley’s (Dylan McDermott) assumed death, several new criminal organizations were introduced to Law & Order: Organized Crime. One of these, The Brotherhood, was a group of corrupt police officers led by Frank Donnelly (Denis Leary) who acted outside the law.
Stabler went deep undercover to ensure his infiltration of The Brotherhood went unnoticed, ultimately bringing down the corrupt cops, loosely affiliated with the Marcy Corporation/Killers (more on them below). With Donnelly’s suicide, The Brotherhood was over, removing them from the potential gang wars that were about to begin.
6
Vaughn Davis
Season 3
As the leader of The Robin Hood, Vaughn Davis (Christopher Cassarino) was introduced as the next dangerous villain in Law & Order: Organized Crime. Responsible for recruiting Dante Scott (Pooch Hall), the foster brother of Bobby Reyes (Rick Gonzalez), into his organization, Davis waged a campaign of rape and murder throughout New York City, ultimately causing Dante’s death.
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Vaughn Davis, whose reign of terror was short but violent, brought direct danger to Stabler, Reyes, and the OCCB, with the group posing as cops to conduct their criminal dealings. The group was shuttered after Davis was brought to justice, but not before leaving long-lasting damage to Reyes and his family.
5
Eamon Murphy
Season 3
The leader of The New Westies, Eamon Murphy (Timothy V. Murphy) becomes the main suspect in the murder of the former partner of Sergeant Ayanna Bell (Danielle Mone Truitt). With the entire OCCB involved in the case, Murphy’s actions led to the attack of Jet Slootmaekers (Ainsley Seiger) and put Stabler in grave danger.
While Murphy isn’t a long-lasting villain in Law & Order: Organized Crime, his actions during Bell’s investigation caused harm to almost all members of the OCCB. With Murphy protected by the FBI as an informant, it appears his criminal activity continues, albeit with a warning from Stabler to toe the line.
4
Marcy Corporation/Killers
Season 2
The Marcy Corporation, also known as the Marcy Killers, was part of a multi-crime syndicate story thread throughout season 2 of Law & Order: Organized Crime. Led by Preston Webb (Mykelti Williamson) and Congressman Leon Kilbride (the incomparable Ron Cephas Jones), it faced off directly with the Kosta Organization until it created a temporary partnership with them as they worked to continue their criminal endeavors together.
In the wake of Kosta’s complete take-down, Marcy moved to take out Stabler for good with a hit ordered directly by Webb. The group was ultimately brought down after Webb’s death and the unveiling of Kilbride’s criminal activities, but not before running one of the most dangerous and successful drug-running organizations in the show’s history.
3
Redcoat
Season 4-5
NBC/Peacock
Julian Emery (Tom Payne) was the leader of Redcoat, the British criminal enterprise responsible for the distribution of heroin throughout New York. A dangerous group that had the potential to unleash chemical weapons against the city, Emery enlisted the help of his close friend, Joe Stabler (Michael Trotter), a friendship that would lead to Joe’s death in Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5, episode 9.
Redcoat was violent and ruthless, bringing an entirely new level of potential warfare not seen on Law & Order: Organized Crime. Finally bringing Emery to justice in the season 5 finale ended their reign, but not before permanently altering the lives of the Stabler family.
2
Kosta Organization
Season 2
An Albanian mob syndicate, the Kosta Organization, is the group Stabler called the most violent in the history of the city. Overseeing the streets and keeping the Marcy Organization at bay while existing in the sphere of Richard Wheatley, Jon Kosta (Michael Raymond-James) ran one of the most organized and deadly gangs in the show.
Kosta Organization’s criminal activity has yet to be mirrored on as large a scale, and continues to be exactly what Stabler described them as: the most violent organization in New York’s history.
Stabler found himself deep undercover with the group, protecting the major secret Albi Briscu (Vinnie Jones) was keeping from the gang, and ultimately becoming instrumental in their downfall. Kosta Organization’s criminal activity has yet to be mirrored on as large a scale, and continues to be exactly what Stabler described them as: the most violent organization in New York’s history.
1
Richard Wheatley
Season 1-2
NBC
The main antagonist in the first two seasons of Law & Order: Organized Crime was Richard Wheatley. Conniving, quiet, and ruthless, Wheatley’s reign of terror over New York, and his part in the death of Stabler’s wife, were the main motivating drivers for the OCCB’s work as the show began, and before his reign ended, no one was safe, not even his ex-wife and son.
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With FBI: Most Wanted’s end, Dylan McDermott is free to step back into the role of villainous Richard Wheatley on Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Wheatley was, arguably, the most effective and ruthless psychological villain in the show’s five seasons, playing directly into Stabler’s mind frame in the wake of his wife’s murder. Wheatley could still be out there, waiting in the shadows for Stabler, potentially to bring more violence and chaos in Law & Order: Organized Crime season 6.
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- Release Date
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April 1, 2021
- Directors
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Jean de Segonzac, John Polson, Jon Cassar, Stephen Surjik, Alex Hall, Alex Zakrzewski, Bethany Rooney, Eriq La Salle, Jonathan Brown, Ken Girotti, Michael Slovis, Tess Malone, Gonzalo Amat, Milena Govich, Simón Brand, Sharon Lewis, Carlos Bernard, Cherie Nowlan, Jim McKay, John David Coles, Juan José Campanella, Kate Woods, Laura Belsey, Leslie Hope
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Christopher Meloni
Det. Elliot Stabler
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Frank Wood
ME Dr. Abel Truman