Federal Undercover Operations: Defending Against Sting Operations

The entrapment defense is designed to fail. That sounds harsh, but it's the truth defense attorneys know and rarely say out loud. The federal government has spent decades refining how sting operations work, and they've gotten very good at making sure the entrapment defense almost never succeeds. Only 22 defendants nationwide won on entrapment claims in a five-year period. Less than one percent of those who tried it. If you're counting on entrapment to save you, you're counting on a defense that fails 99% of the time.

Welcome to Spodek Law Group. Our goal is to give you real information about federal sting operations - not the sanitized version you find on other legal websites. Most law firms won't tell you this because it sounds discouraging. But understanding the reality is the first step toward mounting an actual defense. You need to know what you're really facing before you can fight it.

The system is engineered against the entrapment claim. The FBI literally trains its agents on how to defeat this defense before you ever raise it. Every conversation recorded, every opportunity offered, every response you make is being documented specifically to prove you were "predisposed" to commit the crime. By the time you hire a lawyer, the government has already built its case against entrapment.

The Entrapment Trap: Why This Defense Fails 99% of the Time

Heres something most people dont understand. Entrapment isnt about whether the government suggested the crime. Its about whether you were "predisposed" to commit it. And the predisposition standard is were the trap snaps shut.

Most defendants walk into court believing they have a strong entrapment case. "The informant suggested everything," they say. "I never would of thought of this on my own." They think proving the government initiated the crime is enough. It isn't. Under federal law, the government can suggest the crime, provide the opportunity, supply the resources, and even pressure you repeatedly - and still defeat the entrapment defense if they can show you were predisposed.

Between 2006 and 2010, researchers found that only 22 defendants in the entire country succeeded with an entrapment defense. That's across every federal district, every circuit court. 22 people out of tens of thousands who raised the defense. The conviction rate in sting operations runs between 70 and 95 percent depending on the type of crime. For terrorism stings, the success rate for entrapment defenses is even worse - zero defendants who went to trial and claimed entrapment have won.

So why does the defense fail so consistently? Because the government controls the evidentiary record. They record everything. They document your responses. And heres the paradox that destroys most entrapment claims: your response to there suggestion becomes proof that you were predisposed to commit the crime. They suggest it. You agree. Your agreement proves you wanted to do it anyway.

Think about what that means. The very fact that you said yes - even once, even under pressure - becomes the evidance that you were going to do it anyway. The government dosent have to prove you would of done it without them. They just have to show you agreed when they asked.

Todd Spodek has handled dozens of these cases, and the pattern is always the same. The client comes in saying "they tricked me" or "I never would of done this on my own." But by that point, theres hours of recordings showing them agreeing to participate. The recordings dont capture the months of cultivation. They dont capture the pressure. They capture the moment you said yes.

How the FBI Engineers Stings to Defeat Your Defense

The FBI doesn't just run sting operations - they engineer them specifically to make entrapment claims impossible. This isnt speculation. The FBI publishes guidance in the Law Enforcement Bulletin explicitly teaching agents how to document "predisposition" from first contact.

Here's what they're trained to do. From the moment an informant or undercover agent makes contact, they are building a record of your predisposition. Every time you express interest, every time you fail to reject the opportunity, every time you ask questions about how the crime would work - its all going in the file. The FBI calls these "indicia of predisposition."

According to their own training materials, the strongest indicator of predisposition is when you suggest the crime yourself. But they don't need that. They can also use: prior arrests for similar conduct, bragging about criminal experience, associating with criminals, expecting to profit, and responding quickly to the inducement offer.

Look at that list carefully. "Responding quickly to the inducement offer" is an indicator of predisposition. So if the government offers you an opportunity and you don't immediately refuse, that's evidence you're predisposed. If you ask clarifying questions, that's evidence. If you negotiate terms, that's evidence. The deck is stacked from the beginning.

The Attorney General's Guidelines on FBI Undercover Operations spell out what agents can and cant do. They prohibit participating in violence and initiating criminal plans. But within those limits, agents have enormous latitude. They can befriend you. They can offer you opportunities. They can be persistent. And as long as they document your positive responses, theyve built predisposition evidence.

What this means practically is that the investigation isnt neutral. From day one, the FBI is building a case - not to see weather your a criminal, but to prove you are one. The undercover operation isn't designed to catch criminals. Its designed to create a record that makes conviction inevitable.

At Spodek Law Group, weve seen how this plays out in discovery. The government produces hundreds of hours of recordings, but there always carefully selected. The recordings start when they've already cultivated the target. The months of relationship building, the pressure, the persuasion - those conversations often arent recorded. Or the recording devices "malfunctioned."

The Predisposition Paradox: Your Agreement Becomes There Proof

This is were most people get confused, so lets be very clear about whats happening.

In federal court, entrapment is what lawyers call an "affirmative defense." That means YOU have to prove it first. You have to show that the government induced you to commit the crime. And even if you prove inducement, the government can still defeat your defense by showing you were predisposed.

But heres the catch that makes this almost impossable to win. The Supreme Court ruled in Jacobson v. United States that predisposition must exist BEFORE government contact. But how does the government prove what was in your head before they ever talked to you? Simple: they use your responce to there inducement as evidence of what you were thinking before they induced you.

Read that again. They use your responce to prove your pre-existing mindset.

Its a logical circle that traps defendants. The government contacts you. They suggest an illegal opportunity. You agree. Your agreement is used as evidence that you were predisposed BEFORE they contacted you. The very act of agreeing proves you would of agreed.

Keith Jacobson was a Nebraska farmer who the government targeted for 26 months before he bought illegal material. Twenty-six months of letters, questionnaires, and cultivation. When he finally agreed, the government prosecuted him. The Supreme Court overturned his conviction in a 5-4 decision, finding that the governments own contact created the predisposition. But that's extremely rare. Its one of the only successful entrapment defenses at the Supreme Court level in decades.

The Jacobson case shows what it takes to win: years of documented government pressure with no prior criminal history. Most defendants dont have that record. There contacted for weeks, not years. And by the time they agree, the government has enough "predisposition" evidence to defeat the defense.

What the Recordings Dont Show: The Convenient Gaps

Heres something the Columbia Human Rights Law Review documented that should concern everyone. Across federal terrorism sting operations, there is a consistent pattern of missing recordings.

The FBI instructs its informants to carefully record and document conversations with targets. The overwhelming majority of conversations are captured. But the recording devices "routinely malfunction" during potentially exculpatory conversations. The conversations that the informant might have pressured the target, where the informant might have suggested the crime repeatedly, or where the target might have expressed reluctance - those conversations often don't exist.

Ive seen cases were officers claim the recording device wasnt activated untill after most of the conversation occured. The prosecution's version of events becomes the only version because there is no independent record.

This matters for your defense because the entrapment claim depends on showing what happened BEFORE you agreed. If those conversations werent recorded - or the recordings conveniently disappeared - you cant prove the government induced you. All you have is your word against the agents testimony, backed by hours of recordings that show you agreeing.

We've handled cases at Spodek Law Group where we demanded all recordings, identified gaps, and used those gaps to challenge the government's narrative. It's not a guarantee, but it's part of building the best defense possible. The question isnt just "what did you say" - its "what isnt the government showing the jury?"

The Informant Economy: $500K Per Year to Build Cases Against You

Most people dont realize how much money flows to confidential informants. According to FBI policy documents, a special agent can authorize payments up to $100,000 per year to a single informant. With higher approval, informants can earn over $500,000 per year. And thats not counting the 25 percent cut of forfeited assets they may recieve - up to $500,000 per asset.

Think about what that creates. Your being prosecuted based on testimony from someone who might earn half a million dollars from your conviction. There not doing this for civic duty. There being paid - and paid well - to build cases.

The Innocence Project found that 15 percent of wrongful convictions overturned by DNA involved false informant testimony. In murder cases, that number jumps to 50 percent. The National Registry of Exonerations reports that jailhouse informants testified against 7 percent of all exonerees - thats 247 people who were wrongly convicted in part because of informant testimony.

Federal courts recognize that informant testimony is inherently unreliable. Many informants have criminal records, active cases, or financial incentives tied to there cooperation. But juries often beleive them anyway. The system dosent have adequate safeguards.

Here's what defense attorneys know: the FBI uses a "wink and nod" system that allows informants to testify they don't know if they'll receive additional compensation. Its technically true because the payment comes later. But it lets them testify without admiting the financial stake they have in your conviction.

This is why demanding payment records is critical. At Spodek Law Group, we fight to uncover exactly how much the informant was paid, is being paid, and expects to be paid. Juries should know when testimony comes from someone with hundreds of thousands of dollars riding on the outcome.

The reality is that federal agencies go to great lengths to hide informant payments. Defense attorneys often have to fight for basic disclosure. The FBI doesnt want juries knowing the true cost of informant testimony. But when you expose it, it changes how jurors evaluate the evidence. Suddenly the star witness isnt a concerned citizen - theyre a paid contractor with a financial stake in your conviction.

ATF Stash House Operations: Manufacturing Crime from Nothing

Theres another pattern you need to understand. Between 2011 and 2014, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ran a campaign of sting operations involving fictitious stash houses. They would approach individuals and offer them the opportunity to rob a drug stash house that didnt exist.

A USA Today investigation found that over 1,000 people were imprisoned for these completely manufactured crimes. The stash houses were fictional. The drugs were fictional. The only real thing was the 15-year sentences.

In 2014, California Judge Otis Wright dismissed one of these cases as "outrageous government conduct." He found that the ATF had created crimes "cut from whole cloth" - crimes that would never have existed without government invention. The operation hadnt prevented or detected any crime. It had manufactured criminals.

An unsealed study concluded that these operations showed racial bias in target selection. The disparity between white and black defendants was so large that random chance couldnt explain it. The program wasnt catching existing criminals. It was selecting vulnerable individuals and turning them into criminals.

This is the extreme end of what sting operations can become. And while outrageous government conduct defenses rarely succeed, the pattern shows whats possable when law enforcement has unchecked discretion.

The Jacobson Exception: When Entrapment Actually Worked

Keith Jacobson's case is worth understanding in detail becuase it shows what it actualy takes to win an entrapment defense.

Jacobson ordered child pornography in February 1984. At the time, the transaction was legal. He claims he didnt realize the material depicted minors. The government got his name from that transaction and began targeting him.

For the next 26 months, government agents sent him mailings. Questionnaires about his views. Literature advocating for legalization. Multiple fake organizations all operated by postal inspectors. They cultivated him for over two years before he finaly ordered illegal material.

When the case reached the Supreme Court, the majority found that the government had implanted the criminal disposition. There was no evidence Jacobson would have sought out illegal material on his own. The only "predisposition" evidence came from the governments own 26-month campaign.

But notice what it took to win. It took the Supreme Court itself. It took a case were the government spent two years pressuring someone. It took no prior criminal history. And it was still a 5-4 decision - four justices would have upheld the conviction.

Justice O'Connor argued in dissent that Jacobson ordered material both times he was actually solicited. She worried the majority had made predisposition almost impossible to prove. She was wrong. The government adapted. They learned to document predisposition better, to run shorter operations with more recorded evidence.

Since Jacobson, the entrapment defense has become even harder to win. Prosecutors study that case to avoid its mistakes. The lesson wasn't "don't entrap people." The lesson was "document predisposition better."

Real Defenses That Actually Work in Federal Court

OK so if entrapment almost never works, what does? This is were practical legal strategy becomes crucial.

First, understand that entrapment is just one defense. And its often not the best one. At Spodek Law Group, we evaluate every angle before commiting to a strategy. Heres what we look at:

Lack of Intent. Many sting operations depend on proving you intended to commit the crime. If conversations were joking, fantastical, or you never took concrete steps, the intent element may be weak. This is differant from entrapment becuase it attacks the governments case directly rather then admiting you did it but blaming them.

Outrageous Government Conduct. This is seperate from entrapment. It argues that what the government did was so fundamentaly unfair that prosecution violates due process. The standard is extremely high - "shocking to the universal sense of justice" - and only two federal appellate courts have ever dismissed cases on this ground. But in extraordinary circumstances, its an option.

Challenging the Evidence. Recording gaps, missing conversations, inconsistant informant testimony, constitutional violations during the investigation - all of these can weaken the governments case. Sometimes the best defense isnt a legal doctrine but careful scrutiny of how the evidence was gathered.

Informant Credibility. Expose the financial incentives. Show the criminal history. Document prior inconsistant statements. Make the jury question weather they can trust testimony from someone being paid to secure convictions.

Negotiated Resolution. This isnt the answer anyone wants, but its reality. 95 percent of federal cases end in plea agreements. Sometimes the best outcome isnt acquittal but minimizing damage. A skilled attorney can negotiate sentencing recommendations, cooperate strategicaly, and protect what matters most.

Todd Spodek always says the same thing: defense isnt about magic words or secret technicalities. It's about understanding the system better than the government expects and finding every possible weakness in their case.

What To Do If Your Caught in a Federal Sting

If your reading this after being contacted by federal agents or arrested in a sting operation, the most important thing you can do is stop talking immediately.

Everything you say becomes evidence. Not just in court - it becomes evidence of predisposition that defeats your entrapment defense before you ever raise it. The friendly agent asking casual questions is building a case. The informant, who seems like a friend, is being paid to document your responses.

Call Spodek Law Group at 212-300-5196 before you talk to anyone else. The consultation is free. The mistake of waiting isnt.

Do not try to explain yourself to investigators. Your explanation becomes there exhibit. Your cooperation becomes evidence you understood what was happening and participated willingly. Invoke your right to counsel and say nothing else.

If your already arrested, the same rule applies. Dont discuss the case with anyone except your attorney. Not cellmates. Not family members on monitored phone lines. Not sympathetic-seeming officers. Anyone can become a witness, and jailhouse informants are especially dangerous.

Demand all recordings through discovery. Look for gaps. Challenge the informants credibility and compensation. Examine whether the government followed its own guidelines. Build the defense from the evidence, not from wishful thinking about entrapment.

At Spodek Law Group, weve handled these cases for years. We know how prosecutors think. We know how they build predisposition evidence. And we know how to challenge every assumption they make.

Your facing a system designed to convict you. The entrapment defense exists on paper, but its engineered to fail in practice. Your only real protection is understanding how the system works - and having an attorney who knows how to fight it.

Call us at 212-300-5196. Let's talk about what's actually happening in your case.

The window to build an effective defense closes faster then most people realize. Every day that passes without counsel is another day the government builds its case unchallenged. Every conversation you have is another opportunity for them to document predisposition. Every decision you make without legal guidance is a risk you dont need to take.

Spodek Law Group is located in the Woolworth Building in Manhattan, but we handle federal cases nationwide. Our experience with sting operations, undercover investigations, and entrapment claims means you get representation that understands exactly what your up against. We know the games prosecutors play. We know how informants operate. And we know how to find the weaknesses in cases that seem airtight.

Dont wait untill after you've talked to investigators. Dont wait untill after you've made statements. The consultation is free, confidential, and could change everything about how your case develops. Call 212-300-5196 today.