Inside the World of Informants

Unknown Speaker

Alright, folks, welcome back to MJ on Crime. I am your host, MJ. Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on a part of law enforcement that, honestly, most people only hear about in movies or those late-night news specials—informants. Or, as we used to call ‘em, CIs—confidential informants. Now, what’s an informant? At the simplest, it’s someone on the inside, or close enough to the action, who gives law enforcement the kind of info you just can’t get from a wiretap or a stakeout. They’re the eyes and ears in places we can’t go. And, look, informants have been around as long as crime itself. I mean, you go back to the old days—Prohibition, the mob, even further—and there’s always someone willing to talk, for the right reasons.

Unknown Speaker

But why do people become informants? That’s the million-dollar question. Sometimes, yeah, it’s about money. You’d be surprised how far a few grand will go if someone’s desperate enough. Other times, it’s revenge—maybe they got burned by their crew, or they’re looking to settle a score. And then, you get the ones who, believe it or not, feel some kind of loyalty to the law; they think their fellow criminals went too far, or maybe they just want out. I remember this one guy, back in my days in New York—let’s call him Tony, not his real name. Tony was a small-time player, but he had a front-row seat to a major criminal operation. One day, he walks into the federal building, nervous as hell, and says he’s got info that’ll blow the case wide open. We’re all skeptical, right? However, his information ultimately led to several arrests and prosecutions in a major case. Tony changed the whole direction of the investigation. Sometimes, it’s the least likely person who makes the biggest difference.

Unknown Speaker

Now, here’s the thing—using informants... It's a double-edged sword. On one hand, they’ve helped us take down some of the biggest criminal networks out there. I mean, you look at the fight against organized crime in the ‘80s, especially with the FBI—or more recently, terrorism investigations. Informants were significant resources and reasons for success. Without those inside voices, a lot of those cases would’ve gone nowhere. But, and this is a big but, it’s not all sunshine and handcuffs. There’s always a risk. You gotta ask yourself, is this person telling the truth, or are they feeding you what you wanna hear? Sometimes, they’re just trying to get themselves out of a jam, or worse, they’re playing both sides, and that could be bad. You don't trust an informant as far as you can throw them. Verify, verify, corroborate, corroborate. Never shut off your bullshit monitor when it comes to an informant.

Unknown Speaker

I’ve seen it firsthand—bad info can send an investigation off the rails, waste months of work, or even put people in danger. And credibility? That’s always in question. Like I just said. You gotta vet every detail, double-check every story. Back in the day, we had experience with informants in a few high-profile cases where... how can I say informants who were less than reliable. The stakes are high, and if you get it wrong, the fallout can be brutal—not just for the case, but for everyone involved. You don't want to bring a new case to the prosecutor, and they say... We are still smarting from the last one.

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And that brings us to the messy part—the ethics, the legal stuff, the controversy. Look, when you’re dealing with informants, you’re walking a tightrope. There’s confidentiality, sure, but there’s also the question of safety. If word gets out that someone’s talking, their life could be on the line. I dreaded the late-night call..."Hey, Boss, the informant is dead". Law enforcement does what it can—protection, new identities, relocation, all that—but it’s never a guarantee. And sometimes, honestly, the system gets abused. Maybe a handler gets too close, or someone looks the other way when an informant crosses a line. It’s a tough balance. But there is strict oversight of informants. As a field agent, I ran informants. As a boss, I had oversight responsibilities. I've seen it from both ends, and thank God, I've had no significant issues throughout my career. However, I was also blessed to work with and supervise some of the most talented and experienced Special Agents and Detectives.

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I’ll never forget this one time—midway through a big operation, we got word that our informant’s cover might be blown. I’m talking, like, real danger. We had to make a call: pull him out and risk the whole case, or keep going and hope for the best. I’m not gonna lie, those are the moments that keep you up at night. In the end, we got him out safe, but it could’ve gone the other way. That’s the reality—these aren’t just names on a file, they’re people. They may be bad guys, too, and the stakes are life and death. But an informant is your responsibility...On a lighter note..A buddy of mine ran an informant who had to do prison time after his cooperation. For his birthday every year, my buddy would send him a cheese tray. Get it? You have to admit my buddy has a sense of humor.

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So, that’s a peek inside the world of informants. It’s complicated, it’s risky, and it’s absolutely essential to how a lotta complex cases get solved and terrible people get removed from the streets. Next time, we’ll dig even deeper into the stories behind the headlines. Until then, stay curious, stay safe, and remember—every crime has a story. My mission. Tell it. Catch you next time on MJ on Crime.