Gabriel "Gabe" Navarro is a nightclub owner who is well-connected with the Russian Mafia. He is the rapist of nightclub singer Tara Riley.
Background[]
Navarro was born in Puglia, Italy, to an Italian father and a Russian mother. He grew up in Brooklyn, with ties to the Italian community in Bensonhurst and the Russian community in Brighton Beach. Detective Elliot Stabler ran into him in Naples and tried to arrest him, but he didn't have enough evidence.
I Thought You Were On My Side[]
On the night of Navarro's birthday party, Navarro met up with Tara Riley and then brutally attacked her after she rejected his sexual advances. When Riley attempted to escape, Navarro pushed her down a flight of stairs, which was witnessed by the other party attendants. Captain Benson and Detective Rollins met with Riley at the hospital, and Riley explained that Navarro raped her and described all of the details. According to Sergeant Tutuola, Navarro has close ties to the community especially the NYPD. Rollins also claims that several charges have been made against Navarro, but they always get dropped and has friends in the DA's office. Later, Navarro was arrested for Riley's rape by Rollins at his club.
Benson and ADA Carisi question Navarro with his lawyer Spencer Cochran. Navarro claims that he is completely innocent and bribes Benson telling her that he'll do anything to make the charges disappear. Later, Rollins and Fin have information for Carisi that they found Navarro's DNA on two other rape kits. One is from a victim he raped in Miami three years ago and suffers from brain damage. The second victim is a Jane Doe who he raped and murdered under a bridge. According to M.E. Truman, the Jane Doe was beaten so bad that he couldn't determine her cause of death.
Later, Benson is called by Sergeant Bell, and the squad heads down to the Joint Task Force Headquarters. Stabler tells Benson that Navarro has been under the radar of the Organized Crime Control Bureau for years and has four legit passports, multiple aliases and ties to a criminal organization in several different countries. He is involved in serious crimes such as drug dealing, sex trafficking and organized crime. Benson claims that Navarro beat and raped Riley so bad that she might be paralyzed for the rest of her life. During interrogation, Benson tells Navarro that they have his DNA on three different bodies and that he is looking at being charged with attempted rape, attempted murder and murder. However, Navarro agrees to rat out his boss, Anton Popkov, to them in exchange for a release. While Navarro is being wired up, he tells Stabler that he doesn't want Popkov to know that he turned against him.
Later, during the operation, Navarro and Popkov try to get away on motorbikes and Navarro attempts to shoot Stabler, but Stabler shoots him, which jeopardized the case. However, Popkov was apprehended and imprisoned for life for the crimes he committed. Carisi later tells Benson that Navarro didn't make it to the hospital and was taken by the FBI and placed into witness protection. (SVU: "I Thought You Were On My Side")
Known Victims[]
- 2018, Miami, Florida: Unnamed woman (beaten and raped; suffered from brain damage as a result)
- 2020, unknown location: Unnamed woman (raped, beaten, and murdered underneath a bridge)
- 2021, New York City, New York:
- Tara Riley (raped and beaten; paralyzed as a result of the attack)
- Detective Elliot Stabler (attempted to shoot)