Opinion ID: 529909
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Entrapment Claim

Text: 3 Harvieux contends that the district court erred in failing to find that he was entrapped by the government as a matter of law. 4 We have set forth several factors that must be considered in determining whether a defendant was an otherwise innocent person in whom the government implanted a criminal design. These factors include: (1) the character or reputation of the defendant, including any prior criminal record; (2) whether the suggestion of the criminal activity was initially made by the government; (3) whether the defendant was engaged in the criminal activity for profit; (4) whether the defendant evidenced reluctance to commit the offense, overcome only by repeated government inducement or persuasion; and (5) the nature of the inducement or persuasion supplied by the government. United States v. Reynoso-Ulloa, 548 F.2d 1329, 1336 (9th Cir.1977), cert. denied, 436 U.S. 926 (1978). While none of these factors alone indicates either the presence or absence of a predisposition, the most important factor is whether the defendant showed reluctance to engage in criminal activity which was overcome by repeated government inducement. Id. 5 While Lackey, as an agent of the government, did reinitiate contact with Harvieux after he told her that he wanted no more to do with her, she was under instructions not to bring up the check, but only to apologize to him. It was Harvieux who brought up the check again, asking if Lackey still needed help obtaining false identification. This discussion shows neither a reluctance to become involved on Harvieux's part nor undue persuasion on Lackey's part. In addition, he did not merely tell Lackey who to contact. He arranged the meeting with Babian and he supplied the tools that were used to alter the identification. 6 Looking at all of the factors set forth in Reynoso-Ulloa, we find that Harvieux was not entrapped by the government in this case.