FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY: A SNITCH OFFERS TO SELL HIS STORY

"What you got was just the tip of the iceberg," a man identifying
himself as confidential police informant Daniel Victor Lee said in an
interview. Lee called New Times hours after an article featuring his
work for the SLO County Sheriff's Department hit the news stands on
July 9, eager to tell his side of the story. According to court
documents, Lee was a paid informant for the sheriff's department for
about seven months during 2006. He worked on several high-profile
cases, usually involving marijuana. His story shed light not only on
the practice of using informants, but on the lengths the sheriff's
department would go to incriminate local marijuana and medical
marijuana users. Despite many attempts, New Times was not able to
reach Lee in advance of the story.

During the phone call, he provided such information as his birth date
to prove his identity. New Times described ten cases, confirmed by
court documents, involving Lee. But Lee said he was involved in more
than 100. He didn't say how much he was paid in total.

"You got some of it," he said, "but it goes way deeper, back to 2002.
What you got was just the tip of the iceberg."

Lee seemed unfazed by the coverage of his performance as a snitch. In
fact, he offered to provide many more details, including the cases he
worked on and how he turned informant, but said he would need to be
"compensated."

When a New Times reporter declined to pay him for a story, he said he
might give up the details anyway, if the sheriff's department didn't
do something to fix his situation. During the call, he said he was
upset at his "handlers" at the sheriff's department for not protecting
him and his family better.

Brian Hascall, a sheriff's spokesman, said the department will no
longer comment on the matter. Hascall would not confirm the number of
cases Lee worked on.

"This is a case involving a confidential informant," Hascall
explained, "as such, we believe that the issues surrounding them
should remain confidential."