Confidential Informants: Protecting Their Identity Once an informant is known, the drug traffickers are quick to retaliate. Matt provided knowledgeable advice regarding bond arrangements suggesting he get back into his routine immediately since he had been doing so well. 0000032775 00000 n 0000000966 00000 n Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings are the gold standard in attorney ratings, and have been for more than a century. As with most things in the legal world, knowing how to beat a CI depends on your case. Penalties for Drug Possession Charges as a Minor. Mathew did an amazing job in court. People who submit reviews are either individuals who consulted with the lawyer/law firm or who hired the lawyer/law firm and want to share their experience of that lawyer or law firm with other potential clients. Please explain why you are flagging this content: * This will flag comments for moderators to take action. We came back night after night to see how many they dug up.". Confidential informants people who pose as criminals so they can provide information to the police or some government agency have helped crack some major U.S. cases. But he had his reasons for informing on the drug gang. A common myth that is absolutely not true is that confidential informants do not testify in trials. Many people are interested in what motivates an confidential informant ( aka: human source, covert human intelligence source, CHIS, HUMINT) to assist law enforcement. The reason for this is the police use the CI to gain probable cause for your arrest. These Guidelines apply to the use of a Confidential Informant in a foreign country only to the extent that the Confidential Informant is reasonably likely to be called to testify in a domestic case. Call 954-845-0505 today. TermsPrivacyDisclaimerCookiesDo Not Sell My Information, Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, use enter to select, Please enter a legal issue and/or a location, (city, The agent may be calling you at odd hours and making unreasonable requests that put you or your loved ones in danger. Can a felon be a confidential informant? An exchange for leniency in the charges against the informant generally occurs in these situations. Being a convicted felon means that the criminal offense will always show up on a background check and you may find it difficult to find housing or employment in the future. Generally, informants may enjoy more protection from being identified or forced to testify in court than other laypeople. Evidence that a CI has reliably provided accurate information in the past may indicate to the court that he or she is credible. My reservations were quickly eased during my initial consultation. This is something that can be used to impeach him when he testifies. NPR obtained an internal agency memo written in May 2004 that clearly prohibits using informants who commit crimes. He says Lalo was the keeper of the keys. Confidential Informants: Engage in violations of Federal and state laws while providing information to the FBI. This website is for general informational purposes only. All rights reserved. startxref He was well dressed and always respectful and anxious to talk about the Mexican drug lords he worked for. So where are we going to find any help if we can't trust the U.S.? 0000001889 00000 n Unfortunately, beating a confidential informant presents a particular set of challenges that are not always readily overcome. Yes, a felon can be an informant. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Even repeat offenders have the chance to beat their charges and avoid a conviction with the right legal help. Evidence from CIs who have been busted for fraud or other crimes involving lying may be given less weight. A Pennsylvania criminal defense lawyer at our firm will work tirelessly to protect your rights and your freedom, Federal Judge Questions Push to Imprison Trans Activist, Josie Robotin, Police Use DNA, Video Footage, and Phone Records to ID Idaho Murders Suspect, Jenkintown Woman Sentenced for Lighting Police Cars on Fire During George Floyd Protests, Motion to Suppress: Pennsylvania Search Warrant Update, 5 Things to Know About House Arrest in Pennsylvania, 6 Things To Know About Drug Possession In Pennsylvania, Guide to Felony vs. Misdemeanor Charges in Pennsylvania. However, the identity of a confidential informant will be revealed to the Defendant if the Defendant goes to trial. Confidential informants ("CIs") often provide law enforcement and prosecutors with valuable evidence that can lead to arrests and even convictions of criminal suspects. The guidelines can be used to develop or revise written directives for using and managing informants. If the said information was procured outside of standard procedure (illegal or questionable means), they might use the CI excuse. Some training courses, available for law enforcement officers, will claim to be able to provide officers with everything they need to know about managing confidential informants, including motivation, in one or two days. If youre wondering how to beat a confidential informant at trial, you probably have serious charges against you, and the evidence from a CI is most likely damning. Believe it or not it is legal for law enforcement to pay a government snitch! The government does not have the resources or time to do this. Working As A Confidential Informant Criminal or confidential informants assist law enforcement in setting up and busting others accused of violating the law somehow. The CI meets you at a certain place and unknown to you, the police are watching the whole deal. This may result in longer prison sentences and larger fines associated with a conviction. Though widely acknowledged as vital to law enforcement, social scientists have largely ignored the practice of confidential informing. advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or He was also very reassuring to us, the distressed parents, and always provided an almost immediate response to our questions and concerns. "Are you kidding me? There are legal defenses available to you. Eventually, U.S. officials told Mexican authorities about the bodies buried at the House of Death. In the fall of 2003, Santillan and a band of crooked Mexican police officers went on an eight-month crime spree killing, kidnapping and torturing drug rivals in Juarez. Jordan says on top of all that, ICE knew who was doing the killing and where the bodies were buried, but didn't share any of that information with Mexican authorities. "So where are we going to find any help if we can't trust the U.S.?". For the best chance at beating a drug charge, you need an experienced drug crime attorney in Florida fighting hard on your behalf to prove your innocence to the courts and secure your freedom. Justin is an absolute professional and took the time I needed to explain the process and his role thoroughly. If youre worried about how to beat a confidential informant, let the, represent you. The fact that the confidential informant is often a convicted felon, their credibility is already at issue. Once the case was done, ICE was also done with Lalo. What are the different Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings?*. A lawyer may be able to get at least an end in sight and put a final date or final buy of this nightmare you signed up for. The best way to beat the system and stay out of prison is don't break the law. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. If you agree to work with the FBI, you will be . So how can a court find a CI's testimony to be credible? There must be some legal guarantee that a CI's info is good. Today, no one goes to the metal gate at the house where cartel murderers brought their victims and ultimately buried them in the tiny backyard. However, sometimes, knowing who a confidential informant is in the case can be crucial to the defense team. But Bencomo stayed on, and so did Lalo. Part 2: A System Cloaked In Secrecy Worries Attorneys, Part 3: Retired Drug Informant Says He Was Burned. The CI is assigned a CI number and agrees to provide information about your case to the police. Raul Bencomo, then an agent with U.S. Customs, assigned code No. This video explains the risks and benefits of working as a police confidential informant. a confidential informant is a secret source who, through a contact officer, supplies information on criminal activity to the police or law enforcement agent. According to documents obtained by NPR, Lalo kept his ICE handlers informed of the murders piling up in Juarez. "And you have to act like a criminal.". 3. It is not like the old school movies where you can see a wire taped under someones shirt. This decision can affect you and others for the rest of your life. After all, the average CI is a However, an informant whos been burnt obviously wont be trusted in their typical circles. When a snitch provides incriminating evidence that leads to arrest, the government must now disclose non-identifying information about the source of the police officer's information. It is up to the police to decide how many deals you do, regardless of whether you have safety concerns or feel that the work you have already done is enough for the Government. Once the government uses you as a CI, they can be done with you. You must have an associate's degree and a bachelor's degree in the relevant areas. Although drug trafficking is a felony charge that can carry steep consequences upon a conviction, it is possible to form a suitable legal defense that can help protect your rights and keep you out of prison even if you are a repeat offender. If you are interested in training in relation to motivation or details of our comprehensive human source training programs please get in touch: info@hsmtraining.com We provide the best confidential informant training available. 0000000016 00000 n The information provided on this site is not legal Marvin Christensen @MarvinChristensen988. The pros and cons of being a confidential informant. In a court case, the prosecution must disclose any evidence and witnesses they have against the defense during a discovery process. How Do You Beat a Drug Trafficking Charge in Florida? He views himself as a scapegoat and says his bosses at ICE and their bosses in Washington knew all along what Lalo was doing. Gonzalez lodged a complaint against ICE. FindLaw.com Free, trusted legal information for consumers and legal professionals, SuperLawyers.com Directory of U.S. attorneys with the exclusive Super Lawyers rating, Abogado.com The #1 Spanish-language legal website for consumers, LawInfo.com Nationwide attorney directory and legal consumer resources. There are basically three types of informants: those who agree to cooperate with the police in exchange for favorable treatment in their own cases; those who inform in exchange for money; and citizen-informants who inform out of a sense of civic duty. You may feel trapped by serving as a Government informant. If the confidential informant is disclosed and proceeds to testify at trial, the way to beat them would be to make them appear unreliable. Reviewers can be anyone who consults or hires a lawyer including in-house counsel, corporate executives, small business owners, and private individuals. and Raul Loya. Appended material on confidential funds, a roles and responsibilities matrix, a confidential informant written directive, and an informant working agreement. The monograph is organized around the confidential informant's employment . The official state legislature does outline minimum sentences based on specific stipulations that are related to your charges. "We have threats against the lives of DEA agents, we have dead bodies, and you don't want to let us talk to this guy?" The amount of a drug for which trafficking charges are applicable varies depending on the substance. The statute that outlines drug trafficking laws specifically in the state of Florida is Chapter 893.135. Theres another reason police may want to keep the identity of their informant a secret: they dont have one. His performance in court was outstanding and gave me a big victory. But former DEA Special Agent Phil Jordan says in Lalo's case, every federal rule and regulation was broken. The CI will contact you or maybe you contact the CI. Visit our attorney directory to find a lawyer near you who can help. In other words, the police claim that your charge will be lessened or maybe even go away if you work as a snitch for the police. All rights reserved.|Disclaimer|Privacy policy. His handlers did well, too. Additionally, the defense can ask the CI that testifies whether they have been offered a plea deal or to drop their charges in exchange for the CIs testimony at trial. The informant is given money from the police department, with the serial numbers recorded, to ensure that the money is actually given to the suspect. If you need help defending yourself from these cases, our criminal defense firm can help. By searching the informant, surveilling the buy, and taking other similar measures, the goal is to eliminate the possibility that the informant could plant the drugs on the suspect in order to fulfill the deal with the police. The monograph also examines the responsibilities of the chief executive officers, investigations commander, investigative supervisor, and investigator.
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