how to beat a confidential informant

The Confidential Informant may be a drug dealer, a significant other, someone you are friends with, someone that works for you, someone that you work for, etc. 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. Eventually, a dozen bodies were unearthed at the site. hide caption. If you are wondering how to beat a drug charge in the state of Florida and have an upcoming court case for these criminal charges, contact Weinstein Legal today and ask for criminal defense attorney Matt Shafran. Here are five common factors courts will consider in judging the credibility of a confidential informant: 1. The extant literature on the topic is primarily comprised of experientially based practical guides to informant management and a handful of field studies drawing information from informants in the study of other undercover practices. So how can a court find a CI's testimony to be credible? To the U.S. government, he was officially informant No. [It is only available to law enforcement.]. Every day that passes is another day that the prosecutors office is working to secure your guilt. Often paper trails will be used to support an informant\'s version of events, such as cell phone and travel records. In the 1960s, a trio of Supreme Court decisions Hoffa v. United States, Lewis v. United States, and Osborn v. United States made clear that police have a relatively free hand to use informants. Why did the chicken cross the road ? 0000000576 00000 n The El Paso Customs office (Customs later became Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE) had never gotten much recognition. You may have signed up to be a CI under duress or felt forced into it after the police threatened to lock you up for the rest of your life or arrest other family members involved with drug activity. While we continue to believe that the motives of a confidential informant can be summarized in one or two words, for example, fear, money or a reduced sentence, our interactions with them will always remain superficial and be fraught with risk. The team at Weinstein Legal will evaluate your case and can best advise you on the strategy we will use in regard to how to beat a drug trafficking charge, therefore preserving your freedoms and constitutional rights. The statute that outlines drug trafficking laws specifically in the state of Florida is Chapter 893.135. If the confidential informant is disclosed and proceeds to testify at trial, the way to beat them would be to make them appear unreliable. If the CI does testify at your trial, your attorney will have the opportunity to cross examine the CI and ask questions about any deals the CI made with the state. For example, if you are a parent a drug trafficking charge in Florida may pose challenges for your custody agreement, particularly if your children were present for any portion of the alleged crime. Use the FBI as a source of information so that he can further his criminal operations and eliminate competition. vPxK s&K0!6XYY'`aIbce9"\*z816&V:::Z. If you are the defendant in a trial where a CI is testifying, you could also benefit from having a defense attorney advise you. The idea of the police working with someone who is facing criminal charges is a very sketchy concept to some, but a reality in the criminal justice system. He says Lalo was the keeper of the keys. He was also very reassuring to us, the distressed parents, and always provided an almost immediate response to our questions and concerns. Mathew did an amazing job in court. My son got a felony for possession of THC oil, I immediately started looking for legal assistance and was blessed to find Mathew Shafran. a confidential informant is a secret source who, through a contact officer, supplies information on criminal activity to the police or law enforcement agent. You will not be able to notice the marks. Lalo said his actions were necessary to maintain his cover. 0000001540 00000 n His sincerity, empathy and commitment to advocating on my behalf were apparent. Marvin Christensen @MarvinChristensen988. It also shows how to gain maximum benefits from using informants while maintaining the integrity of the agencies and investigators who rely on informant information. If a defendant doesn't ask for disclosure of the identity at one of these two times, then the issue is waived (meaning that the defendant can't find out the identity later). For example, if it can be shown that the confidential informant had the opportunity to obtain drugs and plant them, the evidence obtained in the controlled buy would be useless. Matthew helped us through a long process, we were stuck, held hostage by a system that truly falls short when it comes to patient rights. He is the best !! Theres another reason police may want to keep the identity of their informant a secret: they dont have one. 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. Mathew is really eloquent and smart. Police and prosecutors generally want to keep the identity of their CI a secret. This creates a record that the deal happened and that the informant is telling the truth about the amount of drugs and money involved, particularly if the seller is arrested immediately and in possession of the bills with pre-recorded serial numbers. So where are we going to find any help if we can't trust the U.S.? The team at Weinstein Legal is here to share information regarding how to beat a drug trafficking charge in the state of Florida. Criminal defense attorneys have a host of tools to do this. Sign up. To make a drug bust, the police should have probable cause (reason to believe) that you possessed, sold, bought or used drugs, or that you attempted or conspired (agreed) to do one of those things. Because the officer involved does not understand or cannot see what is really motivating the informant, the informant ends up sabotaging the investigation or leads the officer into a corrupt relationship. 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. A confidential informant ("CI") is someone that is typically facing criminal charges and law enforcement convinces the CI to "work off" their criminal charges. Supplemental Terms. he says. Possess or use a dangerous drug. Informants usually provide information in exchange for reduced charges or immunity, though CIs can be individuals facing no criminal charges themselves. This important decision can affect you the rest of your life and possibly even your loved ones or friends. You can be called as a witness to testify on the governments behalf if the person you snitched on requests a jury trial. 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. But in Lalo's case, he says, rogue agents didn't properly follow them. Criminal Defense Attorney in Philadelphia. Yes, a felon can be an informant. 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. How Do You Beat a Drug Trafficking Charge in Florida? Additionally, there are many other rights and freedoms that you stand to lose as the result of a conviction. The police can use information gained from the CI about you that the Government can use when prosecuting your case. I would recommend Justin without reservation to anyone seeking representation. In a court case, the prosecution must disclose any evidence and witnesses they have against the defense during a discovery process. This video explains the risks and benefits of working as a police confidential informant. According to documents obtained by NPR, Lalo kept his ICE handlers informed of the murders piling up in Juarez. If you are working as a CI, you may be wondering, how many buys are enough to work off my charges? Drug trafficking charges are a felony offense, which can land you in prison for quite some time. The CI may do controlled buys. This means that the CI will have an agreement with the police. trailer If you receive drug trafficking charges in the state of Florida and the prosecution notes that they had the help of a confidential informant, it is important to know that you may never find out who this person is. The CI is assigned a CI number and agrees to provide information about your case to the police. Informants who fully cooperated and provided truthful information to law enforcement can cause significant damage to their co-conspirators but in order for them to do this we need to know what will motivate them to do so. The CI may be wearing a wire or recording device. Similarly, if you borrow a friend or family members car to run errands around town and law enforcement pulls you over, searches the vehicle, and finds illegal drugs hidden inside yet you did not know they were there, it may also be challenging to convict you. Raul Bencomo, then an agent with U.S. Customs, assigned code No. Unlike with anonymous tipsters, law enforcement and prosecutors typically have evidence that their CI has lied or been forthright with them and others. Typically, the process requires that the confidential informant be thoroughly searched before going into the controlled buy to ensure they are not already in possession of any drugs. It is essential to understand what the charge of drug trafficking means in the state of Florida, as well as the specifics of the legislation. "It was so horrible. Throughout, he maintained consistent communication each step of the way until my case was resolved. Only attorneys practicing at least three years and receiving a sufficient number of reviews from non-affiliated attorneys are eligible to receive a Rating. It depends. You may feel trapped by serving as a Government informant. He was well dressed and always respectful and anxious to talk about the Mexican drug lords he worked for. This is the first time that Bencomo has talked publicly. I took the recording and I told my supervisor that I didn't wish to be part of the case.". Thus, when police make promises that a CIs charges will be dropped or that a CI will not have to testify, dont believe this sometimes its true, sometimes its not. The prosecutors office is not generally required to reveal a confidential informants true identity, as many fear that it may put that source in danger. how do i become a confidential informant, can a confidential informant be revealed, how to beat a confidential informant case, how do confidential informants get paid, what are the rules for a confidential informant. Informants. If youre worried about how to beat a confidential informant, let the, represent you. advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or Exposing the confidential informants identity would spell the end of the governments ability to use that informant again in the future. "I believe in some kind of justice, and I think I was doing something good," he said. "I don't know if they are going to keep me here for the rest of my life," he said. hide caption. In most cases, confidential informants are suspects that have been arrested or convicted for crimes of their own, but cut a deal with police and prosecutors to reduce their sentence in exchange. Do not wait to start working on your defense. We called after our son was arrested for a crime he committed nearly 9 months earlier. Understanding an informants motives for providing information is fundamental to managing them effectively.

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