Opinion ID: 2996344
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ramirez’s statements

Text: The Molinas suggest that the information in the affidavit based on Ramirez’s statements is problematic. The portion of Officer Cooper’s affidavit that discussed Ramirez’s statements follows: In 1997 and 1998, the Illinois State Police, Blackhawk Area Task Force, (ISP/BATF), received information from Jason Ramirez. Ramirez advised from 1990 through 1997 until the time he was arrested, Salvador Estrada and himself “Jason Ramirez” were high ranking members of the Molina drug organization. Ramirez advised that during this time Estrada and himself received approximately twenty seven ounces of cocaine a week and approximately fifty pounds of cannabis a month, which they redistributed for Molina. Ramirez then advised that Estrada and himself returned to Raul Molina at least ten thousand 8 No. 02-1995 dollars a week from cannabis and cocaine sales during this time period, which totals at least five hundred twenty thousand dollars a year. Ramirez advised that Estrada and himself would pick-up the cocaine directly from Raul Molina at Molina’s residence [on] Indian Ridge Road, [in] Sterling, Illinois. The cannabis would be picked up at the Luis Javier Reyes residence on Hunter Street, Sterling, Illinois, where it was being stored for Molina. Reyes is a relative of Molina. Ramirez also advised that Raul Molina keeps his drug records in a ledger in the basement of the Molina residence. Ramirez advised that he has been in the Molina residence on several different occasions, where he has also seen up to a kilogram of cocaine in the basement of the Molina residence. Specifically, the Molinas claim that Officer Cooper omitted various facts and inconsistencies in his summary of Ramirez’s statement. The alleged omissions are failure to: (1) acknowledge that Ramirez gave different numbers regarding the amount of cocaine he allegedly distributed for Raul; (2) note that Ramirez provided contradictory statements regarding the cocaine pick-up location and the presence of cocaine at Raul’s residence; (3) mention concerns about Ramirez’s statements regarding marijuana distribution, gang involvement, drug suppliers, and drug proceeds; and (4) state that Ramirez provided information to get favorable treatment on his pending criminal aggravated battery charge, and that he was initially released from jail without posting bond. As to their first assertion that Ramirez gave inconsistent statements during his interview regarding cocaine quantities, Ramirez claimed that the amount of cocaine he delivered varied and depended on demand. And although he provided different figures during the interview, he ultimately settled on approximately 27 ounces per No. 02-1995 9 week.3 When weighed against Ramirez’s detailed, corroborated, self-incriminating, first-hand accounts of Raul’s alleged drug distribution activities, it is clear that Officer Cooper’s failure to include information about fluctuating cocaine amounts in the search warrant affidavit did not affect the probable cause equation. Additionally, we reject the Molinas’ claim that Ramirez’s statements regarding the presence of cocaine in Raul’s basement and the pick-up location for the cocaine included blatant inconsistencies. The record suggests that many of these comments are reconcilable (for instance, Ramirez’s claim that he picked up drugs at the home of someone named “Chavo” on Thursdays does not conflict with his statement that he picked up drugs from Raul’s home two to three times a week), and even if they are not reconcilable, the inconsistencies are of “minimal significance.” See McNeese, 901 F.2d at 594. We next address the argument that Officer Cooper had doubts about certain aspects of Ramirez’s story, and that those doubts should have been expressed to the judge issuing the warrant. Police officers have a duty to reveal “serious doubts” about an informant’s testimony. See United States v. Whitley, 249 F.3d 614, 621 (7th Cir. 2001) (quoting Williams, 737 F.2d at 602 (7th Cir. 1984) (citations and internal quotation marks omitted)). Officer Cooper acknowledged that certain parts of Ramirez’s statement cast “some” doubt on certain issues, such as the precise amount of marijuana Raul supposedly distributed and whether Raul was involved in a gang. He also agreed that Ramirez’s information regarding Raul’s alleged drug source and drug proceeds lacked detail. However, there is no evidence that Officer Cooper had serious doubts, nor 3 During questioning by police, Ramirez responded affirmatively on two separate occasions when asked if this figure was accurate. 10 No. 02-1995 does the evidence suggest that Officer Cooper should have entertained serious doubts in light of Ramirez’s statement. An informant is not required to provide details about every single aspect of an alleged drug conspiracy. Morever, details like the identity of Raul’s alleged supplier and the location of the alleged drug proceeds would not have necessarily affected the probable cause finding. McNeese, 901 F.2d at 595 (noting that in order for a party to establish a Franks violation, there must be “a reasonable probability” that a different outcome would have resulted had omitted information been included in the affidavit). Finally, although the Molinas contend that Ramirez’s desire to make a deal should have been reflected in the warrant, the omission was not essential to the probable cause determination. We do not suggest that an informant’s motive can never be a factor in assessing whether probable cause exists. However, courts are aware that informants are frequently facing charges and hoping for deals. See United States v. Wold, 979 F.2d 632, 634-35 (8th Cir. 1992). Here, Ramirez’s testimony was sufficiently reliable that probable cause would have been found even if the informant’s motive had been included. As the district court noted, Ramirez’s “statements were against his own penal interest as he also implicated himself in a longrunning and highly profitable drug conspiracy,” Ramirez’s detailed testimony linking Raul to the drug conspiracy (for example, Ramirez gave the names and locations of several players in the alleged conspiracy, provided concrete information regarding the amounts of cocaine and money changing hands, and described the locations of the drugs and drug ledgers) was based on first-hand observation, and Officer Cooper independently corroborated some of No. 02-1995 11 Ramirez’s statements.4 See Molina, 2002 WL 426035, at . All of these points are strong indicia of reliability. See Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 234 (1983) (“[E]ven if we entertain some doubt as to an informant’s motives, his explicit and detailed description of alleged wrongdoing, along with a statement that the event was observed firsthand, entitles his tip to greater weight than might otherwise be the case.”); United States v. Jones, 208 F.3d 603, 609 (7th Cir. 2000); United States v. Leidner, 99 F.3d 1423, 1429-30 (7th Cir. 1996); United States v. Reddrick, 90 F.3d 1276, 1280 (7th Cir. 1996); see also Wold, 979 F.2d at 63435 (stating that “failure to inform the issuing officer of a deal is not fatal to the validity of a warrant,” especially when an informant’s testimony is at least “partly corroborated”) (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). In short, none of the Molinas’ arguments negate the simple fact that Ramirez gave critical information based on first-hand knowledge linking Raul to a drug conspiracy, and provided detailed accounts about the conspiracy’s inner workings and major players. This information, in conjunction with the field tests discussed below, was 4 This independent corroboration (specifically, the positive field test results from the Molinas’ garbage) weakens the plaintiffs’ argument that if this court considered the problems with Villa’s testimony while assessing the remaining portions of the affidavit, it would find that the Molinas had satisfied the Franks test. The Molinas rely on Whitley, in which we refused to “consider the officers’ credibility regarding the preparation of [an] affidavit in isolation,” where the officers had “been exposed as being less than truthful in their testimony regarding searches incident to an investigation.” See 249 F.3d at 624. However, in Whitley we specifically noted that there was not sufficient corroboration of key portions of the affidavit. Id. at 623-24. That is not the case here. Additionally, while we earlier agreed that Villa’s statements may raise issues of material fact, Officer Cooper has not necessarily been exposed as “less than truthful.” 12 No. 02-1995 sufficient for a reasonable officer to believe that probable cause had been established.