The detectives of the Special Victims Unit are called to the scene when a hotel maid reports being assaulted by Italian diplomat Robert Distasio Bureau Chief Mike Cutter and ADA Alex Cabot prosecute the high-profile case, which quickly grows more complicated as the maid's credibility is publicly questioned. Detective Amanda Rollins joins the Manhattan SVU from Atlanta, while Benson struggles to cope with the fall-out from the shooting in the precinct.
As Coach Ray Masters is inducted to the Metro Basketball Hall of Fame by former students Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh, an ex-player accuses the coach of sexually abusing him as a child. Detective Nick Amaro transfers into the SVU squad and is thrown on to the case. The detectives interview former players but no one admits to abuse, forcing Benson and Fin to dig deeper into Coach Ray's most successful player, basketball star Prince Miller and his manager/cousin
When a pregnant thirteen-year-old girl refuses to identify her baby's father, Benson and the SVU squad work to determine if she was raped. Their investigation leads to several men in her life including Tripp Raines, the teenage son of high-profile political couple Andrew and Kathleen Raines and Arturo Rivera, the son of the Raines' housekeeper The detectives uncover much more than they bargained for when a Raines family secret is revealed and a family member goes missing.
Dancer is followed home and raped by a man with a distinctive tattoo and the details of the attack remind Rollins of a serial rapist she was tracking back home. The detectives arrest Gabriel Thomas, a family man who maintains his innocence, but his description and DNA match this assault and the string of rapes across multiple states that Rollins had been investigating. Although the evidence supports the arrest, the more Detectives Benson and Amaro dig into Thomas' past, the more they begin to believe his story.
Young woman visiting from Buffalo claims that her car was stolen outside a Manhattan convenience store with her baby still buckled in the backseat. Benson and Amaro get as much information as they can from the anxious mother and her boyfriend at the police station, while Fin and Rollins track their path from Buffalo for clues. When the parents' stories don't add up, the detectives must uncover what really happened to the missing baby, and the truth surprises everyone.
Young music student is raped at gunpoint in her own apartment, but with her help, the SVU squad makes a quick arrest. Bureau Chief Mike Cutter takes over the case when he finds that opposing counsel is high-profile defense attorney Bayard Ellis. As Ellis works to undermine their police work and damage the victim's credibility, the detectives take the stand to prove they have more than just a he-said, she-said case.
When a young woman is found brutally murdered, the SVU detectives use her distinctive tattoos to identify her as a recently engaged Russian mail-order bride. Upon questioning her distraught fiancé, they learn that she was kidnapped and held for ransom the night of their engagement party. While the detectives follow the money to a deadly blackmail scam run by the Russian Mafia, Captain Cragen goes undercover as a sad and lonely suitor to lure out a killer.
Man in custody at a mental hospital claims to have witnessed a rape in a break room. Despite the witness' shaky credibility the SVU begins an investigation, but the alleged victim, Gia Eskas, denies being assaulted. Detectives Benson and Rollins struggle to piece together what really happened to this young woman, especially when her aunt and mother say Gia has been repeatedly institutionalized, and has cried rape in the past.
Romani child disappears on his way home from school. Benson and Amaro interview the distraught parents, who are distrustful of the police. The initial investigation leads Fin and Rollins to the powerful leader of the Romani community, but he denies any involvement. The family remains hopeful their boy will be found, especially when they discover his cell phone is still active. With the help of their TARU tech and a meddling newspaper reporter, the detectives narrow the perpetrators to a mentally challenged neighbor, throwing the tight-knit Romani community into turmoil.
Military colleague of Detective Amaro's wife reports his 14-year-old daughter missing. The detectives find the girl working as a prostitute under a possessive pimp. They quickly set up a sting operation to entrap Johns on rape charges with a minor, and arrest aging pro quarterback Jake Stanton Detective Benson and ADA Cabot seek to make an example out of the football legend, but the case is thrown into chaos with the return of defense attorney Bayard Ellis, who questions Stanton's mental capacity after years of injuries on the field.
An actress in an interactive theater production is raped on stage, while the audience believes it to be part of the show. The SVU detectives hit a dead end in their investigation when they learn the show's passionate director gave the audience, including the assailant, masks to wear during the performance. Detectives Rollins and Tutuola track down an obsessed fan of the young actress who recorded the assault while stalking her, which leads Detectives Benson and Amaro to a respected judge With the judge's reputation on the line, the SVU squad explores the underbelly of the New York theater world to uncover who really orchestrated the public attack.
The powerful CEO of a private military contractor is confronted by protesters and later found drugged and sexually assaulted in a park. Detectives Benson and Amaro begin their investigation but find the victim unwilling to cooperate. As the SVU squad and the district attorney's office explore the motives behind the attack, a much larger crime and conspiracy in Iraq is unveiled.
An aspiring actress is found unconscious in Central Park with drugs in her system and evidence of sexual trauma. Detectives Benson and Amaro pay a visit to the reality show producer for whom she had auditioned just before the attack, and stop him from assaulting another actress on the casting couch. The detectives arrest the producer, but the situation turns dangerous when his distraught son takes drastic action in order to get his father out of jail. Meanwhile, Benson and Executive ADA David Haden grow closer.
Gunman storms a family's home, killing the parents and leaving their teenage daughter in critical condition. When a hate crime investigation turns into a dead end, Benson and the SVU detectives struggle to find a motive for such violence. The clues lead to a surprising revelation about Detective Rollins, which threatens her future in the Special Victims Unit.
Detective Benson and Executive ADA Haden's romantic weekend is interrupted by news that an underage prostitute has gone missing. As the SVU detectives dig into her disappearance, they find a pattern of several missing escorts who all posted ads on a popular newspaper's website. The line between Benson and Haden's personal and professional lives starts to blur as the squad races against the clock to find the girl before it's too late.
Detective Benson's half-brother Simon Marsden turns up in New York after a five year absence, and asks for help - Child Services is threatening to take his children away from him. She asks defense attorney Bayard Ellis to represent her brother, but the seemingly simple case turns into a disaster for Ellis and his client. Meanwhile, a homeless couple finds a newborn baby abandoned near a hospital, and Detectives Fin and Rollins follow the evidence to a shocking discovery.
Rape victim is brought to the hospital after a harrowing hours-long ordeal, and Benson recognizes the suspect's M.O. from a case she solved eight years ago. The jailed rapist confessed to Benson after a tough interrogation but has been claiming his innocence ever since his conviction. The SVU squad is forced to reopen Benson's old case to determine if they are dealing with a copycat or a case of wrongful imprisonment. As Benson's detective work is challenged, her personal relationship with Executive ADA Haden is also placed in jeopardy when Counselor Bayard Ellis gets involved.
While video chatting with his wife on the way home from an international business trip, a Wall Street executive watches an intruder assault and abduct her. The kidnappers demand ransom, and Detectives Benson, Amaro, Rollins, and Tutuola are on the scene when the missing housewife arrives to pick up the money. She frantically tells the detectives about her ordeal, but Benson grows suspicious of her story. The SVU squad and Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak dig deeper to find out who the real victim is in this increasingly complicated case.
String of rapes in West Soho inspires a group of vigilantes to organize against both neighborhood crime and the NYPD. While Reporter Dennis Griscomb takes every opportunity to publicly criticize police efforts, the SVU squad struggles to find a lead in the case until one of the vigilantes is attacked. As the other detectives fight for control over the investigation and angry citizens, Amaro is distracted by the suspicion that his wife is seeing another man
Detectives Benson and Amaro investigate the disappearance of a teenaged girl after her young brother calls 9-1-1. While Fin and Rollins look into a possible abduction, they discover the girl had been searching for her biological father, an anonymous sperm donor. The investigation takes a startling turn when a suspect is found to be targeting several young, vulnerable women, all with the same personal connection. But the suspect isn't what he seems, and Dr. Huang must delve into his past to save the women.
As Detective Tutuola's son Ken prepares to tell his father that he is getting married, his fiance is brutally assaulted by a street gang. He's the latest in a string of recent hate crimes against gay men, and before the SVU squad can arrest a suspect, a school teacher, is similarly brutalized even though he doesn't fit the pattern. As the detectives search for a connection, they learn that he was dismissed from an elite private school for having an inappropriate relationship with a student In trying to make their case, they quickly realize the facts don't add up and another teacher may hold the clues to what really happened.
While off-duty, Detective Rollins spots a young woman screaming in the back of a moving taxi. The SVU squad quickly identifies the victim as a rebellious teenager, estranged from her family and experimenting in the world of tattoos and self-mutilation. The case takes an unexpected turn when the Medical Examiner presents the detectives with a cleanly severed leg, reminiscent of a similar finding in an old unsolved case. The detectives are drawn into the psychological elements of self-mutilation and ritual amputation as they investigate two brothers in order to link the cases and find the missing woman.
An underage escort is found dead at a wild bachelor party, and Captain Cragen cautions his team to investigate with discretion, as there were several high-profile people at the scene. In their efforts to question a well-known leader in the New York escort world, Benson and Amaro encounter former SVU detective Brian Cassidy, who's been working undercover. With his help, the detectives dig deeper into a vicious power struggle between the two top escort businesses, but before the case is cracked, a shocking event threatens to destroy the life of one SVU squad member.
