Opinion ID: 162842
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Informant Reliability

Text: Defendant next contends that Adams’ incriminating statements to the police were unreliable. “We evaluate informant information for probable cause in a search warrant affidavit under the ‘totality of the circumstances’ test.” United States v. Sturmoski , 971 F.2d 452, 457 (10th Cir. 1992) (quoting Gates , 462 U.S. at 238). In his brief on appeal, defendant challenges the affidavit’s validity based on the lack of an attestation that Adams was reliable. But “even if we entertain some doubt as to an informant’s motives, h[er] explicit and detailed description of alleged wrongdoing, along with a statement that the event was observed first-hand, entitles h[er] tip to greater weight than might otherwise be the case.” Gates , 462 U.S. at 234. Thus, the detail of Adams’ information lends it substantial credibility. In addition, we have held that “there is no need for a -8- declaration of the reliability of an informant when the informant’s information is corroborated by other information.” Sturmoski , 971 F.2d at 457. An informant’s allegations of criminal conduct may be corroborated by independent verification of facts not in themselves incriminatory, because such verification provides a “substantial basis for crediting” the incriminating allegation. Gates , 462 U.S. at 245 (internal quotations marks deleted). See Draper v. United States , 358 U.S. 307, 309-10, 312-13 (1959). In the present case, the district court concluded that Adams’ statements concerning methamphetamine sales in the Torrington house were independently verified by the following information: 1) on December 10, 2000, [police officers] went to room number 12 at the Sands Motel and contacted three Hispanic males, one of whom was carrying a Mexico Identification card with the name Mauricio Moreno; 2) [police officers] located a vehicle registered to [Adams] parked outside room number 12; and 3) the man carrying the Mexico Identification card with the name Mauricio Moreno told [police officers] that the vehicle registered to [Adams] was in fact his vehicle. R., Vol. 1, Doc. 70 at 14. Moreover, the affidavit for the warrant states that officers determined that the utilities for the Torrington house were in the name of Ed Perez, thereby confirming Adams’ statement that the landlord was a man named “Ed” with an Hispanic last name. Hence, we conclude that the issuing judge could properly credit Adams’ allegations of criminal activity. -9-