confidential informant

[ kon-fi-den-shuhl in-fawr-muhnt ]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of confidential informant¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

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

Mercurio told a confidential informant that he first connected with the Islamic State group during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were closed, Taylor said, and investigators later found files on his school-issued laptop detailing the group’s extremist ideology.

From Seattle Times

Judge Otis D. Wright II of Federal District Court found fault with a decision by a federal magistrate in Las Vegas who last week released Mr. Smirnov, 43, a confidential informant since 2010, and dismissed the argument by prosecutors that he would try to escape to Russia.

From New York Times

Grassley took the lead in leaking out tidbits of information about this evidence which was attributed to an FBI confidential informant who had been informed of the bribe by a Ukrainian businessman.

From Salon