Opinion ID: 756221
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Transcripts of Audiotape Recordings

Text: 32 At trial, the parties stipulated to the admission of the audiotape recordings of the alleged drug transactions between Portnoy and Carter and the district court allowed the jury to review transcripts of the recordings while the jury listened to the tapes. Carter objected to the use of the transcripts, arguing that they did not accurately reflect the conversations on the tapes and that the jury should be allowed to make their own determination of what was recorded on the tapes without being unduly influenced by the transcripts. The district court overruled Carter's objections and offered Carter the opportunity to submit his own transcripts as an aid to the jury if he wished. Carter did not avail himself of this opportunity. 33 The law is well settled in this circuit that it is not necessarily an abuse of discretion to allow transcripts to be used by a jury to clarify recorded conversations. See United States v. Davis, 929 F.2d 554, 559 (10th Cir.1991). In United States v. Lucero, 601 F.2d 1147, 1149-50 (10th Cir.1979), we held that a jury may examine transcripts of tape recordings if the trial court instructs the jury that the tapes and not the transcripts are the evidence and that the transcripts are provided only to assist their understanding of the tapes. See Davis, 929 F.2d at 559. Here, the district court gave such instructions. See R.O.A., Vol. I, Doc. 6 at 5; id. Vol. III at 345. An adequate foundation for their consideration was laid by the testifying officers and Portnoy and defense counsel had ample opportunity to cross-examine to discredit the transcripts. In addition, the district court offered Carter the opportunity to introduce his own transcripts of the tape recordings if he felt the government's were inaccurate. Id. Vol. II at 20. Therefore, the district court did not abuse its discretion in allowing the jury to examine these transcripts, even though they were not admitted in evidence.