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Nancy Grace

Body of Missing MO Mom Found; Teen Feared Dead After Keys Found; Realtor Sexcapades Caught on Tape

Aired March 17, 2014 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. We go straight to Grain Valley, where we are learning the body of a white female has just been discovered. Bombshell tonight. We are also waiting for police confirmation. Is this the body of missing mom Amber Bradley?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Crime scene tape left behind after a man walking his dog found a body, 28-year-old Amber Jo Bradley-Couch less than a mile from the bar where she was last seen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t want to assume that there was foul play, but what else can you assume?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And to Texas. The family of teen girl Alicia Benefield fears she`s dead after they conduct their own search for the missing girl and find the keys to her blue Dodge in a Burger King dumpster. Tonight, where is Alicia? Is she dead or alive?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Searching for a missing teen. Alicia Benefield was reported missing after her blue Dodge Stratus was found in a church parking lot. Benefield`s mother found her daughter`s car, cell phone and purse...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And tonight, high-class ritzy realtors busted after nanny-cams catch the realtors` sexcapades caught on tape by "Inside Edition." A two- story Tudor colonial mansion up for sale for nearly a million dollars when the president of the board of realtors takes a, quote, "personal interest" in the home only to get busted!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From trusted realtor to wild sex escapades, all caught on video. Home owners say their security cameras captured two realtors having sex in the house they`re trying to sell. They say the realtors used their home like a cheap motel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And tonight, Miami-Dade Crimestoppers executive director gets a tip that helps him bring down a cocaine dealer. In court, the judge still tries to give the tip to the defense. But what does this retired police chief do? Defies the judge and eats the evidence! Tonight, retired police chief Richard Madsen (ph) caught on tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How far would you go to protect something you believe in? A retired police chief takes an extra step to protect the identity of an anonymous tipster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We promised the people to give us information to solve murders, they can call us with an assurance that they...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And live, tony Uxbridge, Massachusetts. After years -- years -- of scratch-offs (ph), finally, a big winner. Sadly, the big winner is a big pedophile that uses his $10 million lottery winnings on child sex.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a story that has people talking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A Massachusetts state lottery winner is now behind bars charged with sexually abusing a young boy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) a level 3 sex offender registered with police in Uxbridge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will his $10 million lottery winnings help him beat the rap?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.

Bombshell tonight. We go straight to Grain Valley, where we are learning the body of a white female has just been discovered. We are also awaiting police confirmation. Is this the body of missing mom Amber Bradley? Take a look, Amber Bradley. Grain Valley Police Department tip line 816-474-TIPS.

Straight out to Brett Larson, investigative reporter. Brett, what do we know about where the body is found and in what condition?

BRETT LARSON, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Nancy, what we know right now - - the body was found about a block, a block-and-a-half away from where she was last seen, which is very troubling. It`s just -- it`s just right there. What we also know is police are still trying to rule out how this body was killed. They don`t suspect foul play at this time.

GRACE: Well, you know, that really doesn`t make sense to me. She`s last seen at the Whiskey Tango bar. And right now, we`re waiting to hear police`s final words that these remains are those of Amber Jo Bradley- Couch, just 28 years old. She`s got a 4-year-old little girl. She goes out, never seen again. Now the body of a white female has been found on the back side of a hill, basically down a ravine. I don`t know, really, what could be innocent about that, Brett Larson.

We are taking your calls. Justin Freiman, what more can you tell me?

JUSTIN FREIMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): I can tell you that actually she wasn`t reported missing for about two-and-a-half weeks, Nancy.

GRACE: Whoa! OK, Marc Klaas, president, founder of Klaas Kids Foundation, that doesn`t even make sense. Why was she not reported missing?

MARC KLAAS, KLAAS KIDS FOUNDATION: I think that`s a very troubling question here, and it`s a very good question. I think it would be really helpful, Nancy, to know the circumstances of her departure from the bar that night. Was there surveillance cameras? Did she walk away? Did she somehow wander into that location and fall into the ditch on a freezing cold night? Or did she get into her car, which was found at a third location, and drive away from the scene? I think that would be a good starting point for this investigation.

GRACE: Joining me right now is special guest David Starbuck. He`s the assistant chief of police, Grain Valley Police Department. Thank you for being with us, Officer.

DAVID STARBUCK, ASST. CHIEF, GRAIN VALLEY POLICE DEPT. (via telephone): Thank you. You`re welcome.

GRACE: Everyone, again, David Starbuck is with us, also taking your calls. Sir, could you tell us, did the bar, the place where she was last known to be alive, have video surveillance? And if so, does it show her leaving.

STARBUCK: Yes, they do, and yes, it does, and we are still reviewing extensive video surveillance as we speak. We`re still reviewing those tapes.

GRACE: You`re seeing surveillance right now from the Whiskey Tango. That`s where the young mom was last seen. Everyone, take a look. What were the circumstances under which she left that bar? Was she with someone? Was someone waiting at her car? Was someone in her car, under her car, behind her car? Did she run?

Again, Assistant Chief of Police David Starbuck, could you tell me, do we know the cause of death on this white female body? What was the cause of death?

STARBUCK: The medical examiner has not yet ruled it, pending final analysis of toxicology results. There is no initial evidence of foul play, so we`re waiting for the toxicology to see what that tells us.

GRACE: To Dr. Bill Manion, medical examiner, forensic pathologist, joining me out of Philly tonight. Dr. Manion, with a soft tissue death such as asphyxiation, a strangulation, and the body has been out in the elements, if this is, in fact, her, and we think it is, we wouldn`t know that. Wouldn`t the decomposure of the body ruin any of that type of evidence, unless, for instance, you break a bone of some sort or you have a knife wound so deep, it nicks a bone, or there`s a bullet lodged in the body.

I mean, at this juncture, how are we going to get cause of death?

DR. BILL MANION, MEDICAL EXAMINER, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST (via telephone): Well, you have to be as thorough as possible. They will take X-rays first, and like you said, look for a fracture in the neck, look for a fracture of any hyloid bone or thyroid cartilage. They`ll also have to get toxicology. And now, the body has been out in the cold weather, so perhaps there has been some preservation of evidence. And certainly, they`ll be doing rape kit swabs to see if she was sexually assaulted.

But the -- there have been cases, though, of people that get very drunk, very intoxicated, wander off, get lost and freeze outside. So if the ME hasn`t found any obvious trauma...

GRACE: You know what? Dr. Manion, I hear what you`re saying about it being cold outside. But for her to -- I don`t see her hiding and sitting down in a ravine at the bottom of a hill to get warm when she could walk right by her own car. I`m not necessarily buying that.

Again, let`s see that video surveillance. She`s walking on her own, leaving the bar, Whiskey Tango.

To Cheryl Hunter, trauma recovery expert, author of "Use It." Cheryl, I`m thinking a lot about the 4-year-old little girl and her family who have been waiting for Mommy to come home since she disappeared that night in January.

Everybody, at this hour, a body has just been found. Isn`t that a missing mom, Amber Jo Bradley-Couch?

Cheryl, the waiting for justice, waiting to find out what happened to your mother, to your daughter -- I mean, it would be excruciating.

CHERYL HUNTER, TRAUMA RECOVERY EXPERT: The worst part of something like this occurring for the family, those that are left behind, is not knowing. We have this experience that having a sense of certainty will allow us to begin the healing process. And without those answers, they can`t begin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: And now to Texas. The family of a teen girl, Alicia Benefield, fear she`s dead. They go on a search themselves for the missing girl. They don`t find the girl, but they find the keys to her blue Dodge in a Burger King dumpster. Tonight, where is Alicia? Is she dead or alive?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police in Harrison County, Texas, are searching for a missing teen. The teen was last seen alive leaving her boyfriend`s home around 2:00 in the morning. The teen`s car was found in a church lot near her home by her mother. The window was down, her purse and phone inside, but no keys. Police and family members continue to search for missing Alicia Benefield.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: To Michael Board, WOAI. I don`t understand why the family is having to conduct the search themselves and what prompted them to look into a Burger King dumpster.

MICHAEL BOARD, WOAI (via telephone): Yes, apparently, it was a tip to police (sic) that led police to this dumpster behind a Burger King off Interstate 20 here in Texas, and they made this discovery. I don`t know what sent them to the dumpster behind the Burger King, but that`s where they found the sweatshirt of her boyfriend with her keys in the pocket. Why would they be there? Why would he have her keys?

GRACE: To Clark Goldband. What more can you tell me, Clark?

CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, Nancy, authorities are saying that they have questioned the boyfriend. He is a person of interest, not a suspect, and not being named at this time.

But take a look at this map behind me. This may shed some clues on what happened to Alicia. It all starts right in here, the epicenter, where the car was found right by a church. Why was it there? Well, she was last seen leaving, according to authorities, the boyfriend`s home. Authorities had a loud noise call that was taking place at the home. There was some sort of party there. That`s where Alicia allegedly leaves here.

She drives about 12.5 miles. Authorities see her driving that way because they happen to be driving that way, as well. All of a sudden, she falls off the face of the earth, not seen or heard from again. And as you can see, she was headed towards her home down here, just 4.5 miles away. Nancy, she also works at Tyson Chicken. She didn`t show up for work the next day, either.

GRACE: Unleash the lawyers, Patrick McDonough joining me out of Atlanta, Brian Claypool, LA. All right, Patrick, the keys are with the boyfriend`s sweater. That`s pretty damning. He has not been named a suspect. He`s not been named a person of interest. But that -- that stinks to me, Patrick.

PATRICK MCDONOUGH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, it might, but at this stage, we don`t even know if she`s dead or alive. So let`s certainly hope that she got upset and that she`s still OK. What we do know is, clearly, there`s sloppy police work. They need the family to actually find this physical evidence.

The other thing that we know is that after five hours of an interview, they let him go. So they`re certainly not there yet with this young man.

GRACE: Just because they don`t have enough right now, Claypool, does not mean there`s been sloppy police work.

BRIAN CLAYPOOL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, you`re right. And I think that when they say that the boyfriend is a person of interest, I think they`re doing that because they might want to lull him into a false sense of security so they can intensify the investigation of him. I`m sure they`re also doing surveillance on the boyfriend, as well. Clearly, he should be the top suspect because he was the last person with her.

GRACE: OK. Wait, wait. Clark, let me get this straight. I thought the boyfriend is not a person of interest or a suspect.

GOLDBAND: Nancy, law enforcement is saying he is a person of interest but they strongly...

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: ... but not a suspect.

GOLDBAND: ... not a suspect at this time.

GRACE: This girl, a teen, driving her blue Dodge Stratus. Tip line, everyone, 903-923-4000.

When we come back, high-class ritzy realtors busted after nanny-cam catches realtors` sexcapades, caught on tape by "Inside Edition."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: High-class ritzy realtors busted after nanny-cams catch the realtors` sexcapades, caught on tape by "Inside Edition." A two-story Tudor colonial mansion up for sale, nearly a million bucks, when the president of the board of realtors takes a, quote, "personal interest" in the home, only to get busted.

I am hearing in my ear right now we`ve got breaking news on the Amber Jo Bradley-Couch -- everybody, just in, Amber Jo Bradley-Couch, the young 28-year-old mom, a daughter age 4, has positively been identified. The white female remains found down a ravine, a hill of sorts, found at the bottom positively identified as 28-year-old Amber Jo Bradley-Couch.

To Dr. Bill Manion, medical examiner, forensic pathologist. Dr. Manion, what was the holdup? Can`t they just do a dental comparison? And all you need for that is one single dental X-ray that she`s ever had in her entire life with her adult teeth. Isn`t that true?

MANION: Yes, that`s true, but they probably wanted to get her own dentist in -- he would be most familiar with it -- as well as a forensic dentist. You know, people would cooperate with each other. And it`s a sensitive issue, so you sure want to have the right identification. In addition...

GRACE: Well, Dr. Manion, I mean, I would rather know as a family member, much less a daughter or a mother -- I would rather know immediately. If the dental records fit (ph) up (ph) to be her, why would I want to wait for three weeks or however long they decide to take to do a DNA comparison when you know, Doctor, dental records don`t lie? You`re not going to get the same person with a cavity here and an overbite and a chipped tooth here. It`s just not going to happen. Dental records were used for decades before we had deoxyribonucleic acid.

So we`re just getting the positive ID as we go to air now. Amber Jo Bradley-Couch, everyone, positively identified. So Dr. Manion, you`re saying that they want to wait on DNA.

Justin Freiman, do we have any idea where the daughter is tonight?

FREIMAN: We believe the daughter is now with other family members, Nancy.

GRACE: Everyone, repeat, Amber Jo Bradley-Couch, 28 years old, the mother of a 4-year-old little girl -- her remains have just been positively identified, her body found at the bottom of a ravine. Right now, the investigation goes on. For anyone that has information -- let`s see that surveillance video again, please Liz -- 816-474-TIPS -- 816-474-8477. This is the last known photographic evidence we have of Amber. Who was she with? Where was she going? We don`t know. All we know, her body just identified.

Everyone, when we come back, as promised, high-class ritzy realtors busted after nanny-cams catch the realtors` sexcapades, caught on tape by "Inside Edition."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Ritzy realtors busted after nanny-cams catch their sexcapades, caught on tape by "Inside Edition." It was a two-story Tudor colonial mansion, a monstrosity, up for sale, nearly a million bucks, when the president of the board of realtors -- I bet he`s not president anymore -- takes a, quote, "personal interest" in the home, only to get busted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Realtors busted having sex in a client`s upscale home. This stunning surveillance video obtained by "Inside Edition" shows Richard Lindsay and Jeannemarie Phelan kissing and hugging in the kitchen, undressing and having sex in the master bedroom. Lindsay and Phelan have sex 10 different times all over the house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: OK, I get -- look at that. That`s beautiful! I couldn`t really imagine a Tudor colonial mansion. It`s beautiful, now that I`m seeing the photos of it. Look at that, with all that river rock.

Well, it`s not as pretty when you find out the realtors have been, let me just say, doing it all over the inside of the mansion. Talk about a decrease in value.

Frank Morano, talk show host at 970, "The Answer," what happened, and how did these two get busted? Oops! Is that a camera?

FRANK MORANO, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST (via telephone): This is incredible, Nancy. The Weiners put up their home in Wen (ph), New Jersey, for sale. Their realtor, Mr. Robert Lindsay, told them that they could probably get close to a million dollars for it. And instead of trying to sell the house, while they moved out so that renovations could be done, Mr. Lindsay thought he was doing a 21st century remake of the Jack Lemon movie "The Apartment."

And he and a fellow estate agent, after making an unauthorized second key -- usually, we`d say "allegedly" had sex, but we see the video. They had sex. They were caught on security cameras having sex, and this video has become the talk of the Internet since airing on "Inside Edition."

GRACE: Out to the lines. Hi, Katie. What`s your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I`m curious to know, did they actually get the job done?

GRACE: Well, what job are you referring to? Frank Morano -- oh, hold on. With me right now, I am being joined by Frank Weiner, who caught the realtor having sex in the home over and over and over again. Richard, thank you for being with us.

RICHARD WEINER, HOME OWNER: Thank you, Nancy, for having me on the show. I love you.

GRACE: You know what? Thank you very much. And that is a beautiful home. I couldn`t really imagine in my mind a Tudor colonial, and then when I saw it, it`s beautiful. Did this -- oh, wow. OK, I`m just now seeing the inside. OK, I would like to live there other than the realtors and their DNA and their nasty bits all over the home.

What happened, Richard? Tell me the whole thing.

WEINER: Well, it`s a sad story, unfortunately, but I was in the bedroom. My wife came running upstairs, and she`s, like, The house is being broken into! And I`m, like, Well, the alarm`s not going off. And she`s, like, No, not this house, the other house. So, like, Don`t tell me, call 911, like, now. So she calls the Lane (ph) police, calls 911. The police are on the scene fairly quickly. And they`re, like, Hey, are you familiar with, like, this Jaguar that`s in your driveway? And she`s, like, Well, our realtor has a Jaguar. So the police enter the house and -- you know, with flashlights, and basically, there`s Bob Lindsay...

GRACE: Driving a Jaguar? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Richard, Richard Weiner -- he caught the realtors having sex in their mansion that was up for sale -- right there, that should have been a tip-off, unless you`re driving a Jaguar. When the realtor is driving a Jaguar, that would put me on edge immediately. You know what? I`m a working girl, I`m driving a minivan, and when they`re making so much money they`re driving a Jaguar, I would be concerned. So with all the money they`ve got with a Jaguar, why did they need your place to have sex?

WEINER: I think they were basically covering their tracks. What they did was they circumvented the lockbox and made a duplicate key so they can apparently come in undetected, but he forgot about the security cameras. So basically we had date time stamps of all their entries, and he used the lockbox two times out of 13 times. Again, he didn`t want to be detected and he was detected. So we have records of all that, and he`s basically breaking and entering, and it`s a burglary.

GRACE: Richard, I interrupted. I interrupted you when you said Jaguar, and my antenna went up. Everybody, you are seeing caught on tape inside edition, inside this gorgeous home the Weiners had up for sale. They get an alarm. Their home is being broken into. They call 911, they find a Jaguar in the driveway. What happened next, Richard? I want to hear the whole thing.

WEINER: The police basically, they called back and they mentioned the Jaguar, and they were like, well, it looks like there`s people in the house with flashlights. What`s going on here? So the police enter, and you can see the police on camera.

GRACE: Wait, they were having sex without electricity?

WEINER: They were in the dark, with what turned out to look like flashlights. I guess one of their Blackberries went off, and it looked like a flashlight, so I guess that`s what my wife thought she saw. So they went in the dark at the time the police walked in with their flashlights.

GRACE: I guess that`s what you get having sex with your Blackberry right there going off. Go ahead, that`s neither here nor there.

WEINER: OK. So the police say, do you know a Bob Lindsay? He says he`s your realtor. I was like, yes. At the time, we didn`t know that they had a duplicate key. We`re like, what`s going on here? I`m like this does not make any sense. Why is a realtor in the house with the lights out and flashlights? So it`s like, arrest him. He`s your realtor, we`re not going to arrest him. You deal with it.

The police did not know at the time he was breaking into the house with a duplicate key. So the police leave, they lock up the house, and I`m immediately e-mailing Bob Lindsay, like, hey, what are you doing in the house with flashlights in the dark? What is going on? Who are you with? Why are you there? This isn`t making any sense. And then he is not responding. Usually he`s really quick on responses, and when he finally does respond, it`s like he answers disheveled, it`s going back and forth, there are long gaps in time, the story keeps changing. And finally the last e-mail it is like, well, I was trying to do a nice thing for you. Then, of course, we find out --

GRACE: What was the nice thing he was trying to do for you?

WEINER: He was talking that he was setting up for an open house, which he wasn`t.

GRACE: In the dark?

WEINER: Right, in the dark.

GRACE: By the light of his Blackberry, he was setting up an open house?

WEINER: Yes. And he told the police he was showing the house to the other person, who was another realtor, but he really wasn`t showing the house, because she`s been in the house all those other times.

GRACE: Richard, I have to ask you an obvious question. Why do you have a nanny cam in your bedroom? Just curious.

WEINER: The camera was actually focused on the bedroom windows. We had a wired security system which he told us we had to disconnect so that the realtors could come in to use the lock box and not set off the alarms. So when we signed the contract with them, we`re like, hey, we found a solution and we`re putting in wireless cameras so that if there is any problem, if a pipe bursts, if this happens or someone breaks in the house, we have a record of it. It`s like, oh, what a good idea.

GRACE: I`m going to take you at your word, Richard, that you really did have it trained on the window and not on the guest bedroom bed. Richard, where does the case stand now? What, if anything, have they been charged with?

WEINER: So right now, we`re just getting started in the legal process. There`s been a bunch of delays --

GRACE: Have they been charged with anything?

WEINER: No. We have --

GRACE: What? They haven`t been charged at least with trespassing?

WEINER: Not yet.

GRACE: Unleash the lawyers, Patrick McDonough, Brian Claypool. All right, what`s the holdup? Because they are rich and white, they can`t get charged with criminal trespass. I bet if these two came into your house and got DNA and nasty bits all over your kitchen table, you`re getting charged.

MCDONOUGH: This is clearly a civil case.

GRACE: It`s criminal trespass, it`s breaking and entering. They did not have authorization to go in and do that.

MCDONOUGH: This has clearly been going on for a long time. There should be no charges. What they`ve done is they`re looking for money, they`re looking to sue Coldwell Bank and trying to get them on the hook for money.

GRACE: No, they are not looking for money, they didn`t invite these realtors in to have sex in this home.

MCDONOUGH: No, but my understanding is they withheld the videotape and said they wouldn`t release it if they would give them a million dollars.

GRACE: What about it? Let me ask you, Brian Claypool, regardless of any civil proceedings, this is a breaking and entering. Plain and simple. What`s the problem?

CLAYPOOL: Nancy, there was an earthquake this morning in Los Angeles. I`m wondering if it was these two realtors acting out again in the bedroom.

GRACE: You can joke all you want, but when people that are in a position of trust like your realtors are using you and you`re paying them to get used, were either one of these people married? To Frank Morano, were either of these two realtors married?

MORANO: Evidently both of them were married, and that`s why they were sneaking around to have sex, and they had to use other people`s houses to do it. I`ll tell you, though, what the other gentleman said is incorrect. Mr. Weiner claims, and given his track record, seems to claim quite credibly that he just asked for a meeting. He didn`t ask for a million dollars in extortion as these realtors are claiming in their countersuit. If he was really into money, he would find and pursue his true calling, which is producing reality TV. Look what a great job he did so far.

GRACE: And the other thing, whatever he`s thinking in his mind, Richard Weiner, who I think you are correct, Frank Morano, has not asked for money. This is not about him. This is about why police have not charged these two. What, are they outstanding community members? Are they rich? Are they educated? Are they white? I mean, he was the president of the realtors board. I don`t know what the holdup is. If this had been some street kid or a minority, you know what, they would be in jail. But these two, look at them. They`re walking free. They got it over on Richard Weiner, they got it over on their spouses, and now I guess they`re getting it over on the cops. That`s not right.

When we come back, crimestoppers executive director gets a tip that helps bring down a cocaine dealer. In court, what does the retired police chief do? He defies the judge and he eats the evidence. Caught on tape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Miami-Dade crimestoppers executive director gets a tip that brings down a cocaine dealer. In court, the judge still insists she may give that tip, the confidential tipster to the defense. But what does this retired cop do? Defies the judge and eats the evidence. Tonight retired police chief Richard Mastin caught on tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That lunch contained details about the tip and the tipster that had called Crimestoppers. He tore the notes into strips and chewed them up, right there in court.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: A lot of people are screaming about how he impeded justice. He`s looking at a $500 fine and ten days behind bars, but you know what? My concern is with this judge, Victoria Brennan, Vicky Brennan. With me right now is the retired police chief, the executive director of Miami-Dade crimestoppers. Let me point out that the tipster was right. Mastin was right. The female dope dealer was apprehended, arrested at a restaurant. In her pocketbook, guess what was there, cocaine. Cocaine to sell. So Mastin was right, the tipster was right, and there you see Mastin in court. Instead of breaking a confidentiality and handing over the tipster, he shreds the evidence and eats it. To me he`s the hero, and the judge needs to be thrown off the bench.

All right, Richard Mastin, why did you refuse to give that judge the piece of paper? It didn`t have the informant`s name on it, did it?

RICHARD MASTIN: No, it didn`t, Nancy, but it did have some small bits of information that in this particular case probably wouldn`t have caused a big problem, but the precedent would be that if this were to continue to happen in major cases where there was enough information on the report that a defendant could work backwards and at some point identify the tipster just by the circumstances, it would put the tipster at risk, and we`re just not going to let that happen.

GRACE: That`s not all. Listen to this, Richard. The female dope dealer selling cocaine had the cocaine in her pocket at the restaurant, she`s buying the dope, she`s getting the dope from somebody? Who, a drug lord, a trafficer? Do you think they`re going to take kindly to some informant telling you about her? No. Whoever the informant was will be put in danger. Their lives would be in danger. What I don`t get is why this judge suggested that she might give it to the defense. What`s with her?

MASTIN: Well, as you probably know, this took place in an in-camera setting within her chambers, just she and I, and she wanted to examine the tip and make a determination as to whether she would release it or not. I just very simply asked her -- and she was honest. I said, is there any possibility that you will look at this information and release it to the defense? And she said, certainly, that`s my prerogative. I said, well, in that case, I can`t comply. And, therefore, I was in contempt.

GRACE: You know what, Richard, unless you`ve been in the system, it`s very hard to understand the level of violence that is associated with drugs, narcotics of any kind, including crack, cocaine. There is no doubt in my mind that if a dealer found out who ratted them out, they would go after them. Confidential informants are used every day. Do I like the CI? No, I never liked the CI because they were criminals themselves. They`re in the business. That`s how they know. But you`ve got to protect your CI or no drug dealer would ever be brought down. Isn`t that true?

MASTIN: Well, that`s absolutely true, and in another respect, crimestoppers has always made the solemn promise that we will never reveal any information, identity or anything about a tipster. Many of our tipsters are good family people and they have information about their relatives. We just always for 30 years have maintained we`ll go to any lengths to protect their identity. Part of the thing that makes that easy is we don`t know their identity. As you know, we don`t take any names or information and we assign confidential numbers for the dialogue that goes back and forth. But at any rate, the door to protecting those tipsters has always remained closed. And in this particular case, not a huge case, but I think the judge wanted to crack that door open just a little bit, and when that happens, it doesn`t take much for evil to come slipping right through.

GRACE: Out to the lines, Joe in Florida. What do you think about this case?

CALLER: Hey there, Nancy, I have a comment, obviously, that the cop who ate the paper has to carry some ketchup and/or hot sauce, whatever he likes, from now on so he can swallow that with some dignity, let`s call it. But I think it`s silly of the judge, don`t you, to not understand the circumstances?

GRACE: Yes. And I wonder how much criminal experience she`s got, because anybody that`s in the business of putting the bad guys behind bars knows that confidential informant, tipsters, anonymous tips are the backbone of stopping evildoers. It`s just that simple. And when they`re in jeopardy, whether we like them or not, then drug dealers, cartels, drug lords flourish. All I have to say is this. Judge Vicky Brennan, she`s the bad guy in this scenario. Richard Mastin is the hero.

When we come back, after years of scratch-offs, finally a big winner. Sadly, the big winner is a big pedophile that uses his $10 million lottery winnings on child sex.

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GRACE: Live, (inaudible), after years of scratchoffs finally a big winner. Sadly the big winner is a big pedophile that uses $10 million Lottery winnings on child sex.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A Massachusetts state Lottery winner is now behind bars.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The level three sex offender registered with police in Oxbridge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daniel Snay (ph) has been charged with that crime. Charged with sexually abusing a young boy over a period of several years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He bought a $10 million scratch ticket at this convenience store in Hopedale.

GRACE: $10 million. Paul Westcott morning show host, WTAG, what happened?

WESTCOTT: Well, it`s a sick case, Nancy. Investigators suspect Snay may have been using the payouts from his billion dollar blockbuster scratch ticket to work on his prey. Arrested on charges of indecent assault and battery on a child the age of 14. The subsequent offense of reckless endangerment of a child, enticement of a child and dissemination of pornography to a minor.

GRACE: This is disgusting, upsetting. Marc Klaas, people say $10 million, but when you`re bribing witnesses, when you`re buying witnesses luxury trips or giving them cash, money can -- you can spend money like water.

KLAAS: Well, of course you can, but first the question has to be asked, what is this individual doing on the street in the first place with the history of crime that extends back 40 years? It includes multiple assaults on children, refusing to comply by the sex offender registry, and his ability then to also hire a very high-priced lawyer to keep him out of jail. Once you have money, you have power, and his money has done wonders for him.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a story that has people talking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A Massachusetts state lottery winner is now behind bars.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He bought a $10 million scratch ticket.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $10 million Lottery winnings.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At this convenience store in Hopedale.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now behind bars, charged with sexually abusing a young boy over a period of several years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: With me right now special guest, Chief Jeffrey Lawrie with the Oxbridge Police Department. Chief, thanks for being with us.

CHIEF JEFFREY LAWRIE: I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you, Nancy.

GRACE: You know what, Chief, God bless you for stopping this guy. $10 million is a lot of money to blow in the pursuit of child sex. How did he use his money to manipulate the victim, Chief?

LAWRIE: Well, in these cases, obviously, there are different dynamics that are taking place when you conduct these investigations, and obviously some of the information that we`ve learned, that`s come forward is obviously to garner favor with the victim, you know, supplying gifts and things along that nature. And in that case, it appears is what Mr. Snay did with this victim.

GRACE: And also, isn`t it true he would take the victim, the little boy to other states to have sex with him?

LAWRIE: Well, first of all, it`s indecent assault and battery charge. It`s definitely inappropriate contact with the child. And the information that we received -- and obviously, I need to stress this with Nancy that this is still an active, ongoing investigation. We`re also reaching out to people out there if they have any information to contact us, but you are correct. Information we`ve had so far that I can tell you tonight is he`s been to the state of Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and Florida.

GRACE: You know, Chief, I tried so many case, murders, rapes. Child molestation. When you`ve got a child, I don`t know if they can ever be rehabilitated. To Cheryl Hunter, trauma recovery expert. The child grows up to think that it was their fault that this whole thing happened. And that is not true, Cheryl.

HUNTER: No, and when something horrific like this has occurred, it starts to become normal in the mind of the victim. And what`s essential for someone who has gone through something like this is to fight for your sanity, to fight for your recovery and to fight for the healing.

GRACE: You know I`m just sick about it. I`m grateful, Chief Jeffrey Lawrie, you guys got this guy. A $10 million Lottery winner spending his money pursuing child sex. But I pray to God that this little boy and the others that are out there can go on with their lives and know that this was not their fault. Tip line 508-278-7755.

Let`s stop and remember American hero Army Specialist Gary Gooch, just 22, Ocala. Bronze Star, Purple Heart, loved snowboarding, movie marathons, country singer Kenny Chesney. Stepmother Patty, sister Keely. Served the Army. Gary Gooch, American hero.

A special thank you tonight for the greatest spring break ever. Hey! We`re at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. Look at us. We`re floating in there. And there`s the youngest boy astronaut ever, John David Lynch, and his sister, the youngest girl astronaut ever, all at Kennedy Space Center. What a tribute to our slain president.

Everyone, Drew up next, I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END