Opinion ID: 358173
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Disclosure of Informant

Text: 3 During the course of the trial, appellant moved to disclose the identity of the confidential informant who supposedly had introduced him to the undercover DEA agent. The motion was denied. Upon a subsequent motion, the trial court further conducted a post-trial In camera hearing with the informant bearing on the issue of disclosure. Again, disclosure was denied. 4 The appellant argues that the informant would have provided testimony essential to his defense of mistaken identity. Indeed, there are limitations on the informant's privilege of anonymity, and disclosure will be required where it may be relevant and helpful to the defense of an accused, or is essential to a fair determination of a cause . . .  Roviaro v. United States, 353 U.S. 53, 60, 61, 77 S.Ct. 623, 628, 1 L.Ed.2d 639 (1957). Even so, the question is often a difficult one and must be determined on a case by case basis. As the Supreme Court stated in Roviaro, 5 . . . that no fixed rule with respect to disclosure is justifiable. The problem is one that calls for balancing the public interest in protecting the flow of information against the individuals right to prepare his defense. Whether a proper balance renders nondisclosure erroneous must depend on the particular circumstances of each case, taking into consideration the crime charged, the possible defenses, the possible significance of the informers testimony, and other relevant factors. 6 353 U.S. at 62, 77 S.Ct. at 629. Two of the three factors noted by Roviaro ; the possible defenses (and) the possible significance of the informer's testimony, here weigh heavily in favor of disclosure. The appellant asserted only one defense, that of mistaken identity. Therefore, allegedly having no knowledge of the transaction itself, the appellant needed the absent informant in order to refute the undercover DEA agent's testimony. Alternatively, assuming the absent informant would corroborate the agent's testimony, the informant was essential to enable the appellant to develop his theory that he had been framed. Finally, in considering the other relevant factors, the government offered no substantial reasons for nondisclosure. 3 7 In applying the Roviaro balancing test to the instant case we conclude that the trial court improperly denied appellant access to the informant's identity. In doing so, we are aware that in United States v. Davis, 487 F.2d 1249 (5th Cir. 1973) on facts similar to these, the court sustained nondisclosure. In Davis, however, numerous corroborative details were present which are absent here. The facts of Davis show two agents, instead of a lone agent as in the instant case, participated in the actual transfer of drugs, both of whose accounts were entirely consistent. Moreover, in Davis, the agents' court testimony concerning the appellant's identity was corroborated, in detail, by written physical descriptions of the seller made by the testifying agents soon after the crime. Additionally, the agents' testimony was substantiated by the matching of the description on the seller's automobile registration with the description of the automobile noted by the agents as belonging to the seller. Whereas, in the instant case, the informant was the only witness in a position to support or contradict the testimony of the lone agent who participated in the transaction. Also missing in Davis was any allegation that the informant might have a revenge motive and might be actively framing the appellant.