Opinion ID: 331294
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Disclosure of Informants' Names

Text: 6 In Roviaro, the Supreme Court discussed the Government's privilege to keep secret the names of its informants. It held that: 7 We believe 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 individual's 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 informer's testimony, and other relevant factors. 8 353 U.S. at 62, 77 S.Ct. at 628--29, 1 L.Ed.2d at 646. Following this general statement, the Court considered the materiality and relevancy of the informant's testimony. Noting that the informant was the sole participant other than the accused to the transaction, the Court was willing to presume the usefulness of the testimony. It reversed the lower court's refusal to compel disclosure. 9 The decisions following Roviaro have increasingly emphasized the particular facts of the Roviaro situation. 4 We think that Alvarez's case is controlled by our opinions in United States v. Clark, 5 Cir. 1973, 482 F.2d 103, and United States v. Hodges, 5 Cir. 1974, 493 F.2d 11. 5 In Clark we stressed again the importance of participation in the actual transfer, which is absent in the case before us. Hodges was another case in which the accused had gone no further with his entrapment defense than to speak the word. The court held that it was the defendant's responsibility to make an initial proffer on his entrapment defense before Roviaro's balancing process could be invoked. 6 10 Alvarez now asserts that it would have been impossible for him to take the stand with respect to his entrapment defense and at the same time preserve the good faith of his insanity defense. First, this contention ignores the middleground alternative of an in camera hearing, a procedure specifically approved by many courts in this precise situation. See, e.g., United States v. Untiedt, 8 Cir. 1974, 493 F.2d 1056, cert. denied, 419 U.S. 862, 95 S.Ct. 115, 42 L.Ed.2d 98; United States v. Rawlinson, 9 Cir. 1973, 487 F.2d 5, 7 & n. 2, cert. denied, 1974, 415 U.S. 984, 94 S.Ct. 1579, 39 L.Ed.2d 881; McLawhorn v. North Carolina, 4 Cir. 1973, 484 F.2d 1, 5 n. 13. Cf. Alderman v. United States, 1969, 394 U.S. 165, 89 S.Ct. 961, 22 L.Ed.2d 176, 192 n. 14. (situations in which in camera proceedings found helpful to some extent include disclosure of informant's identity). This Court recently approved in camera proceedings in a related situation in United States v. Freund, 5 Cir. 1976, 525 F.2d 873. 7 Second, if we accept Alvarez's argument, forced disclosure of informant identity would be virtually assured any time the twin defenses of insanity and entrapment were asserted. Finally, viewing the record as a whole, we are satisfied that this is not a case in which the issue of predisposition was close. The mere invocation of the word 'entrapment' does not magically create a viable defense. 11 Here, the informants, far from being the sole participants, were not even present at the actual transaction. The defense made no proffer to show the relevancy and materiality of their testimony, nor did it ask for an in camera hearing. Under these circumstances, we hold that the trial court correctly refused to upset Alvarez's convictions on the 2255 motion. We therefore affirm the decision below. 12 Affirmed.