Billy Flynn said to the the prosecutor that he made a "thieves bargain" with Velma Kelly. That word sounds like a common phrase in the law system or something but nobody I asked knows what that is. I even Googled it and nothing came up. So I assume it's a made up phrase. Anyone knows what he meant when he said that?
shareA thieves bargain is effectively what Billy accuses Harrison of doing with Velma. Harrison wanted to gain higher office in Chicago and wanted to use Roxie's case as an attempt to get her convicted and hung to demonstrate to the citizens how he was 'cleaning up the city'. Billy tricked Harrison by doctoring Roxie's diary and giving it to Mama - knowing she'd give it to Velma, Billy knew in turn Velma would immediately go to Harrison with the evidence and part with it and agree to testify if she were let off - this was the 'thieves bargain'.
Harrison's downfall was Velma's crime was actually greater than Roxie's and Billy then used Velma's notority to discredit Harrison as manipulating the case to suit himself.
Ultimately this demonstrates the term 'thieves bargain'. In law it would be a criminal having the upper hand over a legal situation and bargaining for something from either a police officer or prosecutor to give evidence, testify or perform some other role that would benefit a case. Criminal 'snitches' and 'grasses' will often work on thieves bargains to ensure they either receive better treatment in a criminal case of which they are involved or are ultimately removed from the situation entirely. Ray Liotta's character in 'Goodfellas' gets a thieves bargain when he turns on his former gangmates and sells them down the river. He gets the witness protection programme and a paid up lifestyle so as the authorities can get a bigger conviction on leader Robert De Nero.
Such a thieves bargain with one individual would be (and is commonly seen as) acceptable for the good of a conviction of a much bigger criminal (and or criminals) but in the case of 'Chicago', Harrison wasn't thinking about this - rather himself. Roxie would have been the better person to do the thieves bargain with as Velma Kelly was the far worse of the two. Billy ensured Harrison fell into his trap and then played Harrison's inadequaces against him and ultimately won the case!
By the phrase "thieves bargain" Billy probably meant a bargain that was made on the sly by two corrupt people, D.A. Harrison and Velma Kelly. Harrison wanted to convict Roxie at any cost and when Billy concocts a diary testimony by sending Roxie's diary to Mama Morton, who in turn gave the diary to Velma (hoping it would get her off), Harrison finds a reason to win another lucrative case and move one step closer to the governor's mansion (as said by Billy Flynn). He promises to let Velma off if she reads the diary aloud in court, mouthing expletives about the deceased victim which can frame Roxie. However, Billy succeeds in proving that Velma didn't find the diary in Roxie's cell which means "someone else" gave it to her. Therefore, Velma is made to confess that Mama gave the diary to her. In a quick turn of events, Billy proves that Harrison is the one who sent the diary to Mama and in turn the diary went to Velma. So it is Harrison who actually doctored the whole diary testimony in order to convict Roxie.
shareI'm too years late in saying thank you. But thanks. Even tho i had to read your posts a couple of times to really get it. lol. But i do get it now thanks
share