Opinion ID: 605222
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: 1) The Applicable Facts:

Text: 2 In September of 1990, defendant Hamilton became the target of an undercover investigation by Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents. Defendant's cousin, Terrence Hamilton, a government informant, introduced defendant to Timothy Brown, another government informant. Brown told defendant Hamilton about ATF Special Agent Joseph Secrete, who was posing undercover as a drug purchaser, and gave Hamilton Secrete's beeper number. Both the government and Hamilton agree that Brown told Hamilton that Secrete was interested in buying drugs and guns, although Hamilton claims that Brown told him that the drugs and gun sales were only for the purpose of paying Secrete back for money he loaned individuals to become involved in a rap music business. 3 Sometime between September 27, 1990, and October 2, 1990, Hamilton beeped Secrete. 1 Secrete phoned Hamilton back, and Hamilton agreed to meet with Secrete. Between September 28 and October 2, 2 Secrete and defendant Hamilton met at a bar in Northwest Detroit. Secrete testified that at that meeting Hamilton brought up the idea of selling Secrete drugs and firearms. In contrast, Hamilton testified that Secrete told him that he was a wealthy person who could help Hamilton in the music recording business if Hamilton sold drugs and firearms for him. Hamilton testified that Secrete said Hamilton would have to sell him a gun to prove that he was not a police officer. 4 Within a few days of their first meeting, Hamilton beeped Secrete again. Secrete returned the call, and Hamilton offered to sell him, and Secrete agreed to buy, a .38 caliber handgun. Secrete testified that Hamilton suggested that they meet that day in the parking lot of the Mercury Theater. The parking lot was within 1000 feet of the St. Vincent de Porres High School. Secrete testified that defendant first appeared without the gun, telling him that he just came to check things out first. Hamilton, however, testified that he had come to tell Secrete that he had decided not to sell him the gun but that Secrete pressured him into it. Hamilton then left in his car and returned about ten minutes later with a brown paper bag containing a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver. Agent Secrete testified that he bought the gun from Hamilton for $300, although Hamilton claims that Secrete paid him an extra $100 for it. 5 On October 5, Hamilton again paged Secrete. Secrete claims that when he returned the call, Hamilton asked him if he wanted to buy crack cocaine. Secrete met with Hamilton that day in the same parking lot, and Hamilton sold him a bag containing 5.60 grams of crack cocaine, for which Secrete paid $400. 6 On October 15, Hamilton called Secrete, 3 and agreed to meet Secrete to sell him cocaine. 4 Secrete then obtained a criminal complaint and an arrest warrant based on the previous two sales. Later that day, the two met again in the same parking lot, at the suggestion of Hamilton. This time, ATF agents were stationed in a van near Secrete's car. Hamilton got into Secrete's car and pulled a quarter-ounce of crack from his pocket and handed it to Secrete. Secrete then told defendant that he had left his wallet in the trunk, and he stepped out of the car to get it. When he opened the trunk, ATF agents, wearing ATF uniforms and yelling police and freeze, jumped out of the van to arrest defendant. Defendant fled and escaped. 7 Seven weeks later defendant was arrested in Des Moines, Iowa, and indicted by a federal grand jury there for conspiracy to distribute cocaine base. The Iowa indictment was still pending at the time of defendant's trial in this case in the Eastern District of Michigan. 2) District Court Proceedings 8 On March 7, 1991, a grand jury indicted defendant Hamilton on two counts of distribution of crack cocaine within 1000 feet of a school, in violation 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and § 845, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). 5 9 On April 2, 1991, Hamilton filed a Motion For Production of Government Informant, the substance of which asked only that the government be required to disclose the identity of its informant and for an in camera hearing. In support of the motion, defendant argued that the informant helped arrange for the commission of the offense by focusing the government's investigation on Hamilton, by introducing him to Special Agent Secrete, by acting as a liaison between the two, and by inducing defendant to participate in Secrete's request to sell him a gun. The government claimed that, at most, any informant was only a tipster. 10 On June 3, 1991, the magistrate judge, following a hearing on defendant's motion and an in camera review of the informant's affidavit, found that the informant's testimony would not be helpful to Hamilton's entrapment defense and was not required by law, and refused to order the government to reveal his identity. District Court Judge Gadola affirmed the magistrate's ruling. 11 The case then was transferred to District Court Judge Duggan. After the first day of trial, Judge Duggan reversed the magistrate and the original district judge by holding that the government was not privileged from revealing the identity of the confidential informant. Judge Duggan permitted defense counsel to probe [the relationship] between Agent Secrete and Timothy Brown. Defense counsel later elicited testimony from Agent Secrete confirming that Brown and Terrence Hamilton were paid government informants. As a result, defense counsel subpoenaed Terrence Hamilton; however, the defense did not seek an order compelling the government to produce Brown nor did he seek to subpoena Brown. 12 At trial, defendant admitted that he had sold the gun and the drugs to Secrete, but raised the defense of entrapment. He claimed that Secrete, using informant Timothy Brown, had induced him to sell the drugs and the gun by promising to loan him money to start a legitimate rap music venture if defendant repaid the loan by selling drugs and splitting the drug profits with Secrete 50/50. To support his entrapment defense, defendant introduced evidence at trial to the effect that he had been introduced to Timothy Brown who represented that he was a rap music producer who had a wealthy friend willing to fund Hamilton's rap music project in return for defendant's selling the friend drugs and a gun; that defendant had indicated his interest in the rap music project but had refused to participate in any illegal activity; and that after repeated urgings, including telephone calls to defendant's home, defendant had eventually given in and sold the drugs and guns to Secrete because he believed Secrete would finance the rap music project. 13 Although the trial judge instructed the jury on the defense of entrapment, defendant was found guilty on all three counts. He now appeals his conviction on several grounds: 1) the district court's failure to order production of Brown; 2) the district court's failure to find that defendant was entrapped; 3) the district court's admission of Hamilton's subsequent Iowa indictment on drug charges; and 4) the district court's failure to dismiss the felon-in-possession charge because Hamilton's rights had been restored under Michigan law. We address these issues below.