Opinion ID: 572415
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Gomez-Galvis' Claims

Text: 35 Gomez-Galvis argues that her case is the one described, but not addressed, in footnote 4 of Simpson, namely, whether the use of sex as a law enforcement tool would 'shock the conscience' under circumstances where the government is clearly responsible, as would be the case if [one of the individuals is] a law enforcement officer rather than a paid informant. Simpson, 813 F.2d at 1468 n. 4. She suggests that DeLaCova's conduct is attributable to the government because during the lengthy period of the investigation he was a full-time federal agent, and she implies that the issuance of the visa to her further implicates the government. She claims that DeLaCova's misconduct violated her constitutional right to privacy, which purportedly encompasses sexual intimacy. While appellant acknowledges that the conduct for which she was indicted occurred several weeks after sexual relations had ended, she nonetheless claims that her intimate relationship with DeLaCova, led to her subsequent involvement in the conspiracy for which she was indicted. 36 We believe that in order to make a proper ruling on the issues presented by appellant, a remand to the district court for an evidentiary hearing is required so that we might have the benefit of detailed findings of fact. We recognize that an essential element of the effectiveness of an undercover agent is the promotion and engendering of trust in dealing with contacts. The more effective the agent's performance in this respect, the greater the likelihood of his or her success. However, it remains for the courts to determine, in particular situations, whether the means employed exceed lawful bounds. Alexandro, 675 F.2d at 34-35. As noted, we have unearthed no federal appellate cases, and none have been cited to us, which involve an alleged sexual relationship between a principal undercover agent and a person who soon thereafter is indicted, and who alleges that she was induced to engage in the criminal activity by the principal undercover agent; as stated, the reported cases deal with defense motions to dismiss indictments based upon intimate sexual relationships between a defendant and a government informant. Herein, although the district court heard argument on the motion to dismiss, an evidentiary hearing was not held and, consequently, the court did not make actual factual findings. Rather, the court concluded that even if true the allegations of Ms. Gomez-Galvis, [did not] rise to the level of outrageousness contemplated by the Supreme Court as to mandate dismissal. 37 We are unwilling to rule on this issue in the absence of detailed factual findings. Initially, there is the issue regarding the truth of Gomez-Galvis' allegations, namely, that she and DeLaCova did engage in sexual intercourse. Other questions abound, such as whether, if these events occurred, sex was used deliberately by DeLaCova as a law-enforcement tool in the investigative campaign. Importantly, a determination must be made as to whether any such conduct is attributable to the government, i.e., whether the government actively or passively acknowledged or encouraged a sexual relationship, and if so, to what extent, and for what purpose. We need to have the benefit of the district court's findings as to whether DeLaCova seduced Gomez-Galvis and, in doing so, acted either on his own initiative or under the direction or with the approval of his agency--or perhaps DeLaCova was seduced by Gomez-Galvis--or perhaps seduction is not a factor at all. Another question is, regardless of who initiated the relationship, when did the alleged sexual relations end. 38 The government asserts that it is contrary to DEA policy for an undercover agent to have sexual relations with the subject of an investigation. We may opine that, if such a policy does exist, a violation thereof may be grounds for an agency-imposed sanction, but this is a matter separate from the due process question Gomez-Galvis presents here. 39 We note that DeLaCova did testify that in his November 1987 conversations with Gomez-Galvis he attempted to establish a love interest between her and himself. This portion of DeLaCova's testimony appears to be consistent with the allegations in defense counsel's August 29, 1989 letter, which was submitted before Gomez-Galvis knew of the particulars of DeLaCova's testimony. 40 On remand, the district court should make findings of fact regarding the conduct alleged by Gomez-Galvis and based upon what those findings are, if indicated, should proceed to determine whether the government engaged in conduct that was sufficiently outrageous to constitute a violation of Gomez-Galvis' constitutional rights. We note that the nature of our remand is limited. We do not question the jury's determination that Gomez-Galvis was not entrapped.