United States v. Justin Spentz

I. Background

In September 2007, agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) opened an under- cover storefront operation under the guise of a functioning tat- too shop. The purpose of the undercover operation was to identify dangerous individuals with violent proclivities. Once such an individual was identified, the undercover agents offered him the opportunity to engage in a crime. The fic- tional crime was intended to be dangerous enough that the average law abiding citizen would decline the offer but with a sufficient reward that a person with criminal proclivities might accept.

In February 2008, a confidential informant introduced the ATF Special Agent who was posing as the owner of the tattoo shop to Deon’te Reed. The agent identified Reed as a danger- ous individual who had previously been arrested for armed robbery and led a group of criminals that committed home burglaries. It was determined that Reed was an appropriate target for the undercover operation. UNITED STATES v. SPENTZ 9719 On April 17, 2008, Reed arrived at the tattoo shop with two other men, one of whom was defendant Justin Spentz. They were introduced to…