Lewis v. United States (1966)

In Lewis v. United States, 385 U. S. 206 (1966), the undercover agent misrepresented himself to the defendant, not a third party, as a civilian interested in purchasing drugs. Lewis then personally "invited the undercover agent into his home for the specific purpose of executing a felonious sale of narcotics." Id. at 210. The Supreme Court found that Lewis had converted his home into a commercial center to which he invited outsiders for the purpose of transacting unlawful business. Id. at 211. In Lewis v. United States, a federal agent posed as a drug buyer and was admitted into the defendant's home, where he purchased drugs. The Supreme Court noted that the defendant "invited the undercover agent to his home" and that the agent did not "see, hear, or take anything that was not contemplated, and in fact intended, by the defendant as a necessary part of his illegal business." Lewis, 385 U.S. at 210.