Conspiracy Charges Void if Only Agreement Is with Government Informant

Can You Be Convicted for Conspiring Only with a Government Informant?

United States v. Delgado, U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 5th Circuit (Federal)

In this U.S. v. Delgado, the Defendant-Appellant, Maria Aide Delgado, was convicted of

1. possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and
2. conspiracy to commit the same offense.

She was sentenced to a concurrent term of 100 months imprisonment for each conviction. Delgado appealed, complaining that she shouldn’t be convicted for Conspiracy if she was Conspiring With a Government Informant.

The Federal 5th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a conspiracy charge in the indictment because the government failed to introduce sufficient evidence to establish that the Appellant entered into a conspiracy with anyone other than a government informant. While it takes at least two people to form a conspiracy, an agreement must exist among co-conspirators who actually intend to carry out the agreed upon criminal plan. A defendant cannot be criminally liable for conspiring solely with an undercover government agent or a government informant, therefore, evidence of any agreement Delgado had with the government informant cannot support a conspiracy conviction.