confidential informant

American  

[kon-fi-den-shuhl in-fawr-muhnt] / ˌkɒn fɪˈdɛn ʃəl ɪnˈfɔr mənt /

noun

1. a person who works undercover for law enforcement to gather information about felonious criminal activities: some confidential informants are criminals themselves, hired to work undercover in exchange for leniency or exoneration: CI

   We’re told that this elusive drug lord was finally taken down thanks largely to a confidential informant, whose identity remains fiercely protected.

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Etymology

Origin of confidential informant

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

“So you know what happened in Dearborn?” one of the 19-year-old men told a confidential informant on a messaging app after details of the Michigan case became public, according to a criminal complaint filed in New Jersey federal court.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nina, who has managed to gather evidence of Jim crossing state lines to deliver the heart, which was stolen, and that Saxton may have been responsible for his brother’s death, bullies and tempts him into becoming a confidential informant.

From Los Angeles Times

It was based on him “wearing a Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie” and a “vague and uncorroborated allegation from a confidential informant claiming he belonged to MS-13’s Western clique in New York — a place he has never lived.”

From Los Angeles Times

A confidential informant claims that Moyano is linked to several robberies in other states and he is the leader of the group, referred to by the FBI as the South American Theft Group, according to court records.

From Los Angeles Times

Months later, when the FBI tracked down a copy of the paperwork used to justify the search, investigators discovered that Deputy 1 had based it on information from an unnamed confidential informant.

From Los Angeles Times