Confidential informants to get charge dropped. Earlier in 2014, Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals ordered Rackauckas to disclose his list of jailhouse informants in an attempted murder “Informants” are individuals who confidentially supply information about suspected criminal activity to the police. A confidential informant’s duties and responsibilities encompass a mix of discretion, observation, and active engagement. ”2 And it certainly is. The FBI had at least 26 confidential informants on the ground in Washington, DC, during the Jan. The prosecution can't always keep the identity of an informant secret; a defendant who makes a good enough showing is entitled to it. The use of informants by the government has existed for more than a 1,000 years and remains widely used today by the government and the police to: Make other busts, raids, seizures, Do Confidential Informants Get Their Charges Dropped? Some confidential informants may receive leniency in their criminal cases, but not all informants can have their charges dropped. Law enforcement may agree to reduce sentences or provide other legal incentives based on the value of the information provided and the extent of their cooperation. org, but it's not an automatic process. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Do Informants Get Charges Dropped? Learn about the complex legal negotiations behind informant cooperation. As a general matter, a criminal case will not likely not be dismissed simply because an informant is arrested on new charges. This is something that your lawyer should negotiate with the prosecutor and detectives BEFORE you agree to do anything. While informants help authorities disrupt drug operations, organized crime, and gang activity, their involvement raises serious legal and Criteria for Dropped Charges In the complex criminal justice system, confidential informants' role can lead to great benefits, including the possibility of having charges reduced or dropped. In the criminal justice system, the terms “dismissed” and “dropped” charges often come up, leaving many individuals wondering about the implications of each. The informant may later be required to testify as a witness in subsequent court proceedings unless given protection as a confidential informant (CI). 1 U tilizing confidential informants to obtain incriminating information has been described as “dirty business. Confidential informants are frequently used to assist agents in federal criminal Investigations. This is his first offense. Understanding these differences is vital for those navigating the criminal justice system and . THE CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT, THEREFORE, BECOMES THE IDEAL TOOL FOR PENETRATING THEIR CRIMINAL SUBCULTURE. Becoming a confidential informant to reduce drug charges can have legal and personal consequences, but it may help you get your life back on track. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Potential informants must be told that police cannot make promises about the disposition of criminal charges—only prosecutors can do that. Confidential informants are often portrayed in the media as 'snitches' who avoid criminal prosecution. 6, 2021. Both federal and state law enforcement officers use confidential informants. That request is initiated by police, but the decision rests with the Crown. Federal Criminal Charges Exposing a confidential informant can trigger federal charges under laws preventing witness tampering and obstruction of justice. These informants are commonly used by law enforcement to ensnare others in the scheme, especially the bigger fish. Privacy Policy | View Full Site Copyright © 2000-2026 State of Florida. This, if established, was not information gathering for a lawful purpose. Things only got worse. There is no audio or video of the transaction. Two months later, he was beaten and strangled, and his 15-year-old girlfriend raped, beaten, and left for dead. By fulfilling these roles, they help law enforcement officers uncover and thwart criminal activities, ultimately contributing to a safer community. However, when an informant or undercover cop entices a person to commit a crime, the actions of law enforcement may amount to entrapment. In this case, the gist of the obstruction of justice charge (Count 1) is not just that B sought the name of the police informer, but that he did so to force the charges against Q to be dropped. You can become a confidential informant. Dead men tell no tales. These laws cover intimidation and harassment intended to stop someone from communicating with law enforcement, such as publishing an informant’s name or address to hinder an investigation. You realize there are people who make a career out of being informants right? Reply reply CarolinaHillbilly • What happenes if I change my mind about being an informant in order to get a drug charge dropped? Looking for more legal insight into your case? This blog from the personal injury & family lawyers of Holland & Usry may be able to help. The Confidential Informant Guidelines allow the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to authorize confidential informants to engage in activities considered crimes under state or federal law if somebody committed them without authorization. Can charges that were dropped be brought back up after agreeing to be a confidential informant? Last year, March of 2017 I was arrested on a possession of meth charge, not having a controlled substance in the correct bottle, and driving on a suspended license. In other words, the police claim that your charge will be lessened or maybe even go away if you work as a snitch for Jul 22, 2014 · As a general matter, a criminal case will not likely not be dismissed simply because an informant is arrested on new charges. The origi-nal draft of the legislation would also have given suspects access to legal counsel before deciding whether to become informants, but that provision was eliminated in the final version. , Which of the following is most likely true of undercover officers? and more. Jul 3, 2025 · Do Informants Get Charges Dropped? Learn about the complex legal negotiations behind informant cooperation. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like hich of the following is NOT a problem associated with the use of informants?, Undercover officers must be careful not to entrap suspects. It took years, but now we know the number of secret informants the FBI had in Washington during the Capitol riot of Jan. In fact, you can still get criminal charges even if you are a confidential informant. Informant motivation FBI Anchorage aid for assessing confidential human sources Informants, and especially criminal informants, can be motivated by many reasons. For example, if you are acting as a confidential informant in a drug crime investigation, you may Feb 1, 2024 · A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing drug charges even after agreeing to cooperate with an investigation in the role of a confidential informant. Judicial examinations and scholarly criti-ques of informants have focused almost exclusively on the first two categories. Mar 21, 2025 · Confidential informants are often portrayed in the media as 'snitches' who avoid criminal prosecution. They then proposed a deal that she accepted without speaking with an attorney or her parents-the deal being they would drop charges against her if she cooperated with them and become a confidential informant and help them to bust three other people. While both terms signify that a defendant is no longer being pursued for a specific crime, the reasons and processes behind them differ. A classified FBI policy guide creates opportunities for agents to disguise payments as reimbursements or offer informants a cut of seized assets. There are three primary types of criminal justice informants: (1) criminal and confidential informants, (2) anony-mous tipsters, and (3) citizen-informants. They apply to the use of confidential informants in criminal investigations and prosecutions by Department of Justice law enforcement agencies and federal prosecuting offices as specified in paragraph (I) (A) below. However, acting as a confidential informant does not mean you are free to break the law without consequences. FBI confidential informants provided information to investigators which permitted them to identify appropriate targets for the investigation of three violent gangs in a northeastern city. In many criminal investigations, undercover police officers and informants are used to gather evidence to build a case. Understand how providing valuable information can lead to reduced sentences or even dismissed charges. It is not uncommon for informants to have past criminal records, or to receive new charges, and the state will often press ahead no matter how suspect the informer. In many cases, the confidential informant is facing some type of criminal charges themselves, so their cooperation is motivated by the possibility of lessening their own charges. How successful are CI getting charges dropped? You need an attorney first - police use confidential informants on a regular basis and many informants still end up with convictions on their records and jail sentences to serve. Many informants are not themselves aware of all of their reasons for providing information, but nonetheless do so. The activities required of confidential informants or human sources, however, may potentially conflict with conditions normally imposed by a court. To each their own though. MacDonald, 17, had been arrested in January on a small possession charge and wore a wire as part of a deal to have the charges dropped. What we don’t know is what they did. A confidential informant (“CI”) is someone that is typically facing criminal charges and law enforcement convinces the CI to “work off” their criminal charges. It's not as dangerous as it appears on screen, but neither is it a get-out-of-jail-free card. Confidential Informants: Protecting Their Identity Once an informant is known, the drug traffickers are quick to retaliate. 28 for confidential informants in drug deals and other serious crimes (often cited as"Rachel's Law"). The “accomplice informant” is the codefendant of the person the informant is offering information against in an effort to get his or her own charges dropped or sentence reduced. Mar 13, 2025 · Confidential informants (CIs) play a controversial yet crucial role in law enforcement. If you are truly in danger of being killed, you'll be put into witness protection. I had a confidential informant contract with the police and followed it 100% can the State still prosecute me 2 years later? I was offered a contract to give up information in exchange to have the initial charges be dropped. Confidential informants (CIs) play a controversial yet crucial role in law enforcement. A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing drug charges even after agreeing to cooperate with an investigation in the role of a confidential informant. A Nebraska drug defense attorney explains the role of informant in the arrest and prosecution of a defendant in a drug-related prosecution. (a) Inform each person who is requested to serve as a confidential informant that the agency cannot promise inducements such as a grant of immunity, dropped or reduced charges, or reduced sentences or placement on probation in exchange for serving as a confidential informant. Learn more. A controlled buy is basically a situation setup by law enforcement where a confidential informant is sent in to buy drugs from a suspect. Can Being a Confidential Informant Reduce Your Drug Charges? A confidential informant, who may sometimes be referred to as a “criminal informant,” is an individual who pretends to engage in crime for purposes of furnishing information to law enforcement during the course of an investigation. Some informants can also get consideration for criminal charges in exchange for information. 1 You may also hear informants referred to as “informers” 2 —or by less flattering terms such as “snitches,” “rats,” or “narcs” (a term originating in the use of informants in drug crimes cases). Confidential informants aren’t the same as anonymous sources or tipsters. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol — most of whom engaged in illegal activity during the chaos, the (a) Inform each person who is requested to serve as a confidential informant that the agency cannot promise inducements such as a grant of immunity, dropped or reduced charges, or reduced sentences or placement on probation in exchange for serving as a confidential informant. Confidential informants (CIs) operate within a framework of intricate legal and ethical considerations, necessitating a delicate balance between the imperatives of justice and the preservation of individual rights. DETECTIVES HAVE THEIR OWN PERSONAL CULTIVATED SOURCES AS WELL AS REGISTERED CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANTS. What does that mean for defendants? Entrapment can be difficult to prove in court. The report underscores the key reason why legal experts are critical using criminal informants to inform investigations and trial: for informants the stakes are high, and the temptation to acquiesce to pressure by law enforcement is difficult to resist when their own freedom is at risk. A former Connecticut police chief faces felony charges after prosecutors say he took tens of thousands of dollars from city funds meant to pay for programs and confidential informants, authorities said. The investigation resulted in 35 cases involving charges against a total of 54 gang members over a 5-year period. She panicked and agreed to work with the police as a CI. Giving police information as an informant can help reduce your sentence, according to Snitching. Informants usually provide information in exchange for reduced charges or immunity, though CIs can be individuals facing no criminal charges themselves. Entrapment occurs when undercover agents ____. OCDA prosecutor Tony Rackauckas dropped murder charges three times in as many months in late 2014 after he was accused of hiding his jailhouse snitch’s information from defendants. Since the inception of the federal criminal justice system, prosecutors have used defendants supervised in the community as confidential human sources or informants. Attorneys explain Florida's Section 914. Not to mention, being an informant is dangerous. Can police use confidential informants that are sex offenders in homes with children? Can the charges get dropped or reduced? Our son is in trouble for cannabis sales to an undercover police officer from 2 years ago, they just now brought up charges. They are insiders who provide critical intelligence to police and federal agencies, often in exchange for reduced sentences, dropped charges, or financial incentives. s6uv, 4bxs01, wpag2z, qm76s, xdrsa, dv5vj, tf8h, qazxx, ta1ve, o2wnog,