 An innocent victim or a common criminal. These are the two labels that have been given to Rachel Hoffman, a 23-year-old college student whose life was turned completely upside-down after working with Florida police in a sting operation that went horribly, horribly wrong. Rachel had no idea that a simple routine traffic stop would send her life into a tailspin, and before Rachel knew it, she was facing a weekend in jail. But by April of the following year, things had turned sour. Rachel was now facing years of jail time after detectives tried to pin her for a crime that would have essentially ended her life. She was offered a once-in-a-lifetime get-out-of-jail-free card. The only catch was she had to work undercover for the police. With nowhere else to turn, Rachel accepted the offer. Not knowing that this job would be her last. Rachel Hoffman was by no means your average young woman. By the time she was 18, Rachel had done all the things most of us ever dream of doing. Rachel was born in Clearwater, Florida, where she had, best I can tell, a largely ordinary childhood. The only thing that sets Rachel's childhood apart from most is that she had opportunities most of us could never imagine. See, Rachel wasn't a particularly wild kid, but she also wasn't a kid who was willing to settle down. She and her family were always up to something. By the time she was 12 years old, Rachel had already learned ballet, learned to ride horses, and she'd even been a major competitor in a little mermaid contest. Her life never seemed to stop moving forward, and having lived in Clearwater, Florida, it's easy to see why. Because Clearwater is a beautiful place to be, and it's a city that's filled with attractions in all sorts of things for a small family to do. As the name suggests, there are several beautiful clear beaches, all kinds of museums, cruises, sports events, restaurants, parks, everything. The only real issue with Clearwater is crime. While Clearwater certainly isn't a particularly dangerous place to be, there are definitely pockets of the city that you want to stay clear of. It's certainly not a city where you'd need to fear for your life while walking around at night, but it's absolutely a place where you'd need to keep your eyes open and maintain a little bit of common sense. For Rachel, she certainly had enough common sense and confidence to go around, but being the free-spirited woman she was, well, she wasn't going to let anything keep her from doing what she'd set her mind to doing. By the time Rachel had turned 18, she was on her way out of high school. By this point, her resume had grown to include being a flute player, a piano player, a skydiver, a Grand Canyon hiker, and so much more. Rachel just didn't know when to quit. After graduating high school, Rachel continued on with her academics and joined Florida State University. She was here from the time she was 18 until she was 23, and after graduating from Florida State, she planned to continue her education by moving to Arizona to pursue a culinary degree. By February of 2007, Rachel was continuing on her path to greatness, but that's when everything came crashing down around her. It should have been a simple traffic stop and an ordinary speeding ticket turned into so much more. Before Rachel even knew what was going on, her life had changed forever. It's stories like this that remind us that danger can pop up when we least expect it. And when you're injured, your injury could be worth millions. Insurance companies often love to lowball claims, but if you become a client of Morgan and Morgan, they will help to fight to get you what you deserve. All law firms are not the same. Morgan and Morgan is as popular as they are for a reason. They've won a lot. If you're ever injured, whether in an accident or otherwise, you should know that you have rights and Morgan and Morgan will fight for their clients to protect those rights and get them the compensation they deserve. Just in the last few months, Morgan and Morgan has won a $12 million dollar case in Florida, a $26 million dollar case in Philadelphia, and a $6.8 million dollar case in New York, all of which were dozens of times higher than the insurance offer. The best thing about Morgan and Morgan is that their fee is absolutely free unless you win the case. And there's a good reason why over 3 million people each year trust Morgan and Morgan and call them in their time of need. If you've been injured, it's super easy to start a claim with America's largest injury law firm in just a few clicks. You can start your claim now with Morgan and Morgan at ForThePeople.com slash True Crime Stories, or click the link in the description. That's ForThePeople.com slash True Crime Stories. Thanks to Morgan and Morgan for sponsoring today's video. It was February 27th, 2007. Rachel was in her final days of Florida State University and was already gearing up to transfer to Arizona. But before that could happen, her life changed in the blink of an eye. While Rachel was out driving one day, she got pulled over for speeding. It happens to everyone and it's unlikely that Rachel thought much of it. The officer approached her window and asked for her license and insurance, but that wasn't all. The details of what unfolded next are a bit uncertain, but it seems like the officer knew that something was a little bit off about Rachel. In fact, he could smell it. As soon as he caught a whiff of Rachel's car, he asked her to exit the vehicle. He then asked Rachel's permission to search the car. What he found in the car brought Rachel to her knees. As the officer combed through every square inch of the car, he finally found what he was looking for. He turned to Rachel with a bag that was filled with a certain plant and at this point in history, it was illegal in Florida. Rachel knew that she was in serious, serious trouble. Not only did this crime mean that she may be spending some time in jail, or at the very least, paying a very steep fine, but she also knew that a crime like this could cost her everything, including her getting kicked out of Arizona College before classes had even started. Rachel did everything she could to keep this off of her record, but her best efforts simply weren't enough. After the officer reported the crime, Rachel was forced to enter a rehab program and was told that she would be subjected to periodic testing to ensure that she was free and clear in the future. What's crazy to me is that the state was incredibly serious about these routine tests. Usually the state doesn't care about much of anything at all, but that wasn't true in this scenario. We don't know how long Rachel was required to attend this rehab program, nor how long she was required to take these regular tests, but more than a year later, in March of 2008, we know that she was still going through with these tests. The only problem was, in March, someone close to Rachel lost their life. This meant that Rachel needed to travel all the way to Tallahassee to attend the loved one's funeral. But there was only one issue with this. On the day of the funeral, Rachel was also due to take one of her scheduled tests. She missed this appointment and, as a result, was ordered to spend a weekend in jail in April of 2008. Until dinner time got out of jail and went back home, it wasn't really the end of the world for her. No, that would come just two weeks later, and this time Rachel would be doing a lot more than spending a couple days in a cage. This time, she was in deep. Just two weeks after Rachel was released from jail, she was in her apartment minding her own business when, all of a sudden, there was a powerful knock at the door. She opened the door to see what was going on, and that's when she noticed two police officers who stood there to greet her. There was a familiar, skunky odor that poured out of Rachel's apartment, and she knew her time was up. The officers reported that there had been odor complaints from one of her neighbors. They then asked if Rachel had been using anything illegal that evening. She had. They then asked if she had anything illegal in her apartment. She did. They asked Rachel's permission to search her apartment, and she allowed them to. When they asked her what was going on to cause such an odor, Rachel knew she couldn't hide any longer. She admitted to everything. But what was originally a fairly innocent crime and a somewhat light sentence turned into something much, much more, and in record time. That's because this time around, Rachel wasn't just holding on to a few grams of a plant. This time, she'd been caught with much, much more. Because of the rules in terms of service on these streaming platforms, I can't specifically discuss what officers found, so we'll just say that under Rachel's couch cushions, officers found some illegal medications that very clearly proved that Rachel was looking to party. Not only that, but she had more than enough to share with her friends, so police began to fear that she may be selling these goods to other people. Needless to say, Rachel was arrested, but she could have never imagined what would unfold next. As she was taken to the local jail, Rachel learned that she faced multiple felony charges. If her previous charges didn't risk ending her college career, these charges certainly would. Rachel was set to be put away for a very, very long time. At the age of just 23 years old, Rachel didn't know what to do. She was nothing more than a college student who was looking to experiment, learn more about herself and who she really was, as well as have a good time. But she quickly learned the hard way that this type of a good time is rarely all it's cracked up to be. It was then that Rachel was introduced to Officer Ryan Pender, who offered her a deal that she simply couldn't refuse. All those drug charges, he'd make them go away. All she had to do was work for him. Desperate for any way out of this mess, Rachel agreed. This would turn out to be a mistake that would cost her her life. Rachel's job with Officer Pender was simple. She would work undercover for the local police, helping them to locate and eradicate local smuggling operations. She'd show up to the homes or hotspots of various dealers, make a successful exchange, then report everything back to Officer Pender. The police told her that if she helped to get the weapons and illegal goods off the street, they'd wipe away any trace of her previous arrests. According to her boyfriend, Ben, she was only initially asked to take part in one or two sting operations. But things quickly grew out of control. We don't know the specific number of undercover ops that Rachel went on, but we know that it was far greater than just one or two. But by May of 2008, one of these operations took a dangerous turn that cast the entire state of Florida into a negative light. It was May 7th when Rachel reported to the Tallahassee Police Department for her next mission. She was taken to the office of Officer Pender, who would explain the details of her next assignment. Officer Pender would explain that Rachel was to be given a wire, then given $13,000 in cash. She was instructed to purchase a weapon, 1.5 ounces one substance, and 1,500 tablets of another. She was to bring her haul straight back to the police so officers could link the crimes to the dealers. This sting operation was incredibly large. A total of three DEA agents, 15 police officers, Officer Pender and Rachel had all been assigned this investigation. And according to the Tallahassee Democrat, this was the largest sting in the department's history. The operation was scheduled to begin at 7pm, but from the very beginning, things did not go according to plan. At first, Rachel was set to meet up with the men at a predetermined location. But all of a sudden, they changed the meeting spot. A few hours later, they changed it again. Rachel was driving herself to Forest Meadow Park, where she was to meet up with these two men. But on her way there, she got a phone call from one of the men. Yet again, there was a change of plans. And during this one phone call, they changed the meeting twice more. They asked Rachel to meet them at a plant nursery, then switched to Gardner Road, a dead-end street with no hope of an easy exit. Rachel hung up the phone with the dealers and immediately called HQ to speak to Officer Pender. Officer Pender claims that he immediately picked up on what was taking place here. And he told Rachel to abandon the mission, saying that it was unsafe. He says that he doesn't know if Rachel hung up before hearing this command or if she purposefully ignored his warning. But after this call, Rachel was never heard from again. Police drove to Gardner Road, hoping to catch a glimpse of Rachel. There was no sign of her car, nor any indication she'd ever made it to the meeting spot. Detectives then drove over to Rachel's boyfriend's home, asking if he'd seen any sign of her. He had it. And that's when investigators knew that no matter what, this wasn't good. Either Rachel had run away and made off with the $13,000 they'd given her, or worse, the dealers had found out about the sting. It would be two more days before Rachel was finally found. But unfortunately for everyone involved, she lost her life. Rachel was found dumped in a gully and tangled up in vines in Perry, Florida, about an hour away from Tallahassee. She'd been hit with five rounds, then dumped like yesterday's garbage. A deep and extensive investigation into her disappearance was carried out. And that's when police learned that Rachel had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well, sort of. As it would turn out, the dealers had made plans to rob Rachel that evening, taking the $13,000 and selling her aspirin, rather than the substances she'd actually shown up for. But at some point during the meeting, things went awry. One thing led to another, and the dealers ended up grabbing Rachel's purse and searching it. And that's when they found the wire. The dealers did what dealers do best and tied up any loose ends, meaning Rachel lost her life right then and there. But the story isn't so simple. After news of Rachel's demise made it into the local media, the entire state of Florida was up in arms. How could a local police officer send an untrained young woman into the middle of a sting operation of this proportion? The biggest sting in the department's history was no place for a newly acquired informant to be. As it would turn out, just three years prior in 2005, the Department of Justice had issued a very clear and specific set of guidelines for how confidential informants were supposed to be treated and used. The Tallahassee Police Department failed to follow these guidelines, placing Rachel in harm's way without so much as a second thought. Rachel had no formal training and was remarkably unprepared for what she was thrown into. But that's not all. See, when Rachel was just about to start her mission and meet up with these dealers, Officer Pender claims that he knew something fishy was going on. And he claims that he immediately told Rachel to abandon the mission and return back to the police department. But the thing is, many people have begun to question whether or not this actually happened. Now, I haven't been able to find any evidence to point one way or the other. But many people feel as though Rachel was treated as little more than a disposable pawn in a much larger game of chess. Some people have speculated that Officer Pender never gave any warning to Rachel nor did he tell her to stand down and return home. He claims that Rachel either hung up before hearing his command, heard the command and didn't heed his warning or that their call was disconnected and his commands didn't go through. Either way, after locating Rachel's body on May 9th, officers immediately closed in on the two dealers and they were both charged and convicted for ending Rachel's life. They were each sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. In the ensuing investigation into the Tallahassee Police Department, several officers were suspended from their positions. In the end, the department openly admitted to their wrongdoing, confessing that Rachel had zero training as an informant and admitting that she didn't even have any experience or prior knowledge of the substances that she would have been purchasing that evening. She quite literally went into the operation blind. Naturally, the police department was found to be at fault but there's no mention of whether or not they faced any real repercussions for this. Now, Officer Pender was fired as a result of the failed operation but less than two years later, he was reinstated. So it doesn't seem like the department learned anything from this. Rachel's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the department and they were eventually awarded $2.6 million but that's pretty much the end of it. No further repercussions were faced but there is somewhat of a silver lining here. Rachel didn't lose her life for nothing. In the wake of this disaster in May of 2009, Rachel's law was passed by the Florida State Senate. This law helped to instate some seriously strict guidelines for how Florida officers are allowed to use informants ensuring that a situation like this never happens again. This law requires every single police department in the state to subject informants to extensive training exercises to ensure that they're as prepared as they can possibly be for anything that gets thrown their way. If Rachel had had this type of training, it's incredibly likely she would still be here. If Rachel had had any training at all, she'd probably still be here. The thing we have to keep in mind is that laws like this cannot be substituted for common sense. Yes, Rachel's law is an incredible thing and it's guaranteed to save countless lives but it shouldn't take a lawyer or some college degree to understand that you can't throw an average civilian into the biggest police operation that the Tallahassee Police Department has ever seen. On what planet is this okay? And in what world did anyone think this was safe? I love the fact that Rachel's life wasn't stolen for nothing. There was some good that came of it but she didn't have to lose her life for this to have taken place. Her fate should weigh heavily on the shoulders of all 19 officers who were involved in this operation. Not one of them spoke up. Not one of them suggested, hey, this is a bad idea. Not one of them did anything to preserve her life. Actions speak louder than words and it's clear to see that the Tallahassee Police Department saw Rachel as nothing more than disposable. Thank you guys so much for tuning in to another episode of True Crime Stories. If you enjoyed this video, check out this other interesting case I covered and don't forget to subscribe. It's totally free and keeps you up to date with all of my future videos. You can also click that join button below and support the channel and see new videos long before everyone else does. But my name is Ty Nautz and I'll catch you guys in the next video.