United States v. Walker, No. 09-1647 (7th Cir. 2012)
Annotate this CaseDefendants plotted with others to rob a cocaine stash house at gunpoint, but the stash house did not actually exist, and their partners were an undercover agent and a paid informant. The informant, Ringswald, generated most of the evidence against them and played a significant role at their trials, but, although available, was not called by prosecutors to testify. The government introduced his story through recordings and narrative from investigators. Prosecutors asserted that none of his out-of-court statements was offered for its truth. Defendants were convicted of drug and gun charges. Each was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment. The Seventh Circuit affirmed. While the handling of Ringswald's statements, some of them "obvious hearsay," raise concerns about the Confrontation Clause, any error was harmless in light of "overwhelming evidence."
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