UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Steven Paul GOMEZ, Defendant-Appellant

This case gives fresh meaning to the phrase, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.”

I

The facts alleged by the defendant, Steven Paul Gomez, are troubling. In late February or early March of 1992, Gomez was being held in the Sacramento County Jail on state-law charges when he learned from his attorney that he had been acquitted. After Gomez told his fellow inmates the good news, one of them asked whether this meant he would be released. Gomez said yes, and the other inmate, a man by the name of Imran Mir, offered him a job. Mir was charged with participating in an international drug conspiracy and wanted Gomez to kill six witnesses who were going to testify against him. Mir offered Gomez $10,000 or half a kilogram of heroin for each witness he managed to knock off.

Gomez promptly reported Mir’s offer to the jail guards. He did so out of a sense of moral obligation, expecting no reward. The customs agent who had been working on Mir’s drug case was notified and eventually got in touch with Gomez. After the agent promised to keep Gomez’s identity secret and protect him if his identity were revealed, Gomez agreed to help the government gather evidence against…