Man snared in federal sting could be released after plea

CHICAGO – A man who was lured into a sting by an informant co-operating with federal agents could soon be released after pleading guilty to a robbery conspiracy charge.

The Chicago Tribune reports that 49-year-old Leslie Mayfield entered the plea Tuesday and already may have served enough time since his 2009 arrest.

Mayfield was working at an electronics company and struggling financially when he said an informant told him he could get $40,000 and two kilograms of cocaine if he robbed a house where drugs were purportedly stashed.

The plea comes after a federal judge in Chicago last week urged federal law enforcement nationwide to stop conducting stings in which undercover agents talk suspects into agreeing to steal non-existent drugs from non-existent stash houses, saying they overwhelmingly target blacks.

The sting that netted Mayfield involved U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents.

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Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com