Opinion ID: 714872
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The reliability of the informants' testimony

Text: 40 Defendant next argues that McGowan's and Stickman's testimony did not possess sufficient indicia of reliability to support its probable accuracy, and therefore should not have served as a basis for the judge and probation officer's calculation of the estimated drug quantity. See U.S.S.G. § 6A1.3(a). In U.S. v. Browning, 61 F.3d 752 (10th Cir.1995), we concluded that the testimony of three informants who had histories of drug use, prior criminal records and incentives to minimize their own culpability possessed sufficient indicia of reliability to be considered by the district court. Id. at 754. We found such testimony to be sufficiently reliable in light of the district court's conclusions that the witnesses had personal knowledge of specific facts underlying the defendant's drug transactions. Id. We also considered it significant that the district court determined the testimony to be reliable after observing the informants' demeanor in court and their clear and responsive answers to questioning. Id. 41 Similarly in the present case, McGowan and Stickman testified only as to their personal knowledge of specific facts relating to Defendant's drug transactions. McGowan's and Stickman's testimony sufficiently corroborated each other's statements--as well as the statements they made to the probation officer--to further indicate that the testimony was reliable. Although Stickman testified that McGowan purchased a half to a full pound of cocaine a week from Defendant and McGowan testified that he purchased only a half pound per week, both testified that Defendant regularly sold them drugs each week, that he had other distributors working for him and that he had possessed a gun in connection with his drug business. We also must place significance in the fact that Judge Brett determined the informants' testimony to be sufficiently reliable after observing their demeanor in court. See U.S. v. Deninno, 29 F.3d 572, 578 (10th Cir.1994) (holding that the credibility of a witness at sentencing is for the sentencing court, as the trier of fact, to analyze), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 1117, 130 L.Ed.2d 1081 (1995). 14 42 Furthermore, we have held that courts may employ out-of-court statements not independently corroborated when the informant was identified. See United States v. Ballard, 16 F.3d 1110, 1115 n. 5 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 114 S.Ct. 2762, 129 L.Ed.2d 876 (1994). Compare U.S. v. Ortiz, 993 F.2d 204, 207 (10th Cir.1993) (holding out-of-court statements by unidentified informants must have sufficient corroboration by other means). Because the statements the court relied on were testified to in court, under oath, and by identified informants, we consider them even more reliable than the statements we upheld in Ballard as possessing sufficient indicia of reliability. The fact that McGowan testified regarding conduct that could incriminate him in further criminal liability also enhances the reliability of his statements. 43 Finally, we note that Defendant failed to present any witnesses or evidence challenging the credibility of the informants and that the probation office presented evidence that three law enforcement officials who had worked with McGowan considered him to be credible. 44