Bernanda Menendez

**Bernanda Menendez** was a gang leader who hired Sherie Alvarez to be kidnapped.

## History

### Season 3

After Tino follows a woman who was hired by Bernanda to distract Tino, Sherie gets kidnapped by the gang members. Tino then asks Stabler for help in finding Sherie. Later, the woman Tino was following approached Bernanda and demanded money from her. Bernanda then told her that they'll let her know when she is ready. Bernanda then approached Chaz and asked him for updates on Tino. Chaz says that his informant in Rikers told him that he'll be locked up for the weekend. Bernanda tells Chaz that the shipment isn't coming in until the middle of the following week and told him to move Sherie. Chaz asked if it would be easier just to kill her but Bernanda told him that Tino will talk if they kill her but if she stays with them, he will keep his mouth shut. A few moments later, Bernanda meets with Cristobal and another gang member who hand Sherie to her. While Sharice was being taken away, Bernanda tells Cristobal that Chaz was arrested and tells Cristobal that Duran doesn't know but they want to keep it that way. Cristobal tells Bernanda that Chaz was their driver and they can't do it without him. Bernanda tells Chaz that she will take care of Sherie and Cristobal can find another driver. Later, after Whelan goes undercover as their new driver, Whelan meets Bernanda who mentions that he has no tan lines. Bernanda then laughs when she hears that Whelan thinks the contact is the boss and takes Whelan to meet the real boss. When Whelan enters the car and starts driving, Bernanda and the gang notice Reyes and Jet following them and she tells Whelan to make him go away. Whelan then ends up losing them which makes Bernanda happy. (OC: "Trap")

### Arrest

After Whelan escapes from Reyes and Jet, Whelan demands to know from Bernanda who the big boss is so he can get off the road now that they have lost the cops. Bernanda and the gang introduce Whelan to Duran where Duran tells Whelan that he is bad news because he hit cops. Bernanda and the gang then kick Whelan out because they don’t need him anymore. Later, after Stabler goes undercover and meets with Duran, Bernanda tells Duran that she can’t tell whether he is who he says he is. Duran then tells Bernanda that she knows what to do. After Stabler leaves, Bernanda starts following him until Stabler enters a parking garage. Bernanda then starts taking photos of him exchanging money with a man in a hood. Later, after Duran goes missing and Stabler figures out where he might be hiding, Bernanda gets arrested at the warehouse where Stabler reveals his identity to her. Bernanda becomes shocked when she hears that Stabler is a cop. During interrogation, Bernanda refuses to talk to Stabler but Stabler tells her that she is playing the loyal soldier and that Duran doesn’t feel the same about her. Whelan then attempts to interrogate Bernanda. Bernanda tells Whelan that she knew he was a cop but Whelan didn’t believe her. Whelan tells Bernanda that he knows Duran has a family here which he is loyal to. Bernanda calls Whelan a liar but Whelan tells her it is right there for her to see and shows her a piece of paper. After making a deal, Bernanda shows up while Duran is with his grandson. Duran sends his grandson away before Bernanda kisses him. Bernanda tells Duran that the bar was raided and that Cristobal is dead. Bernanda claims that she is all alone but Duran refuses to help her before telling her to leave. Bernanda then pulls a gun on Duran and orders him to admit that he runs a drug gang. The cops then enter the meeting place where Duran claims that they will see he is innocent. Bernanda then shoots and kills Duran which was witnessed by his grandson. Bernanda then gets arrested and imprisoned for her crimes. (OC: “The Infiltration Game”)

## Known Victims

### Personal

* Antonio Duran (held hostage and murdered)

## Appearances

* Law & Order: Organized Crime
	+ Season 3: "Trap" • "The Infiltration Game"