United States v. Tzannos

Police searched Tzannos's (defendant) house under a warrant based on an informant's tip about bookmaking calls. Tzannos moved to suppress the evidence, arguing the informant did not exist, and presented evidence that the only people who called about gambling that day were willing to swear they were not the informant. The district court granted the motion to suppress. The government appealed, arguing it should not be forced to reveal the informant's identity just to disprove Tzannos's claim.

Whether the prosecution must disclose a government informant's identity when the defendant claims the informant does not exist.