The following excerpt is from Payton v. Woodford, 258 F.3d 905 (9th Cir. 2001):
16. See People v. Pensinger, 52 Cal.3d 1210, 1249-50, 278 Cal. Rptr. 640, 658-59 (1991) (holding that an informant, who had a prior history of being an informant, was not a government agent where the informant initiated discussions with the police; the police did not ask for the informant to take any action or to "keep his ears open"; the police did not offer leniency; the police did not know that the witness had previously been an informant; the police told the informant he was not their agent; and the prosecutor testified on the informant's behalf at his trial).
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