Confidential Informant's Credibility in Cocaine Distribution Case at Issue
The Court of Appeals in South Carolina in State v. Williams has ruled that the exclusion of several convictions of a confidential informant could not have reasonably affected the the outcome of the trials. The court held that it was harmless error to exclude the prior convictions of the informant, including armed robbery, larceny, forgery and housebreaking.
In the Federal system, confidential informants are often key witnesses who testify on behalf of the government. They are used in the state system as well. Most confidential informants have prior records are are working with local law enforcement to shave time off their convictions. Therefore, evidence of the confidential informant's prior convictions can often show the jury that they are in fact biased.
A good federal criminal defense attorney can impeach these witnesses to show they are untrustworthy through the evidence of their prior convictions. A federal defense lawyer can also show the jury that many of these confidential informants are paid by law enforcement to purchase drugs.
In South Carolina, Federal Courts are located in Greenville, Columbia, Florence, Charleston, Anderson, Rock Hill, and Spartanburg. All of these divisions are part of the District of South Carolina. If you have been indicted with a federal crime, you will need to hire an experienced federal attorney in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Columbia or Florence.
The Mace Firm has offices in Florida and South Carolina. We have experienced criminal attorneys that handle cases ranging from traffic tickets to drug trafficking.
