Opinion ID: 2995768
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admissibility of Tapes

Text: Thomas first argues that the district court erroneously admitted tape recordings, specifically Tape Recording 9, into evidence at trial without proper foundation or authentication. We generally review a district court’s evidentiary rulings for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Hunt, 272 F.3d 488, 494 (7th Cir. 2001). Because of the great deference we give to a trial judge’s evidentiary rulings, we will not reverse unless the record contains no evidence on which the trial judge rationally could have based its decision. United States v. Gajo, 290 F.3d 922 (7th Cir. 2002). Tape Recording 9 contains a conversation between Thomas and Romano, in which Thomas is heard setting up a location to meet Officer Romano for the purchase of the cocaine, as well as a discussion of the terms under which Thomas will be permitted to test the quality of the cocaine. Thomas first contends that the district court erred No. 01-3759 7 in admitting the tape because Indihar, the government’s primary foundation witness, was not a participant in the recorded conversations. Moreover, Thomas argues that Indihar was only present for part of the conversation with Romano and the government, therefore, failed to establish that the tape recording was a true, accurate and authentic verison of the actual conversation between Thomas and Romano. We disagree. Under Rule 104(a) of the Federal Rules of Evidence, “[p]reliminary questions concerning the admissibility of evidence shall be determined by the court,” and such matters must be established by a preponderance of proof. FED. R. EVID. 104(a); Bourjaily v. United States, 483 U.S. 171, 17576 (1987). See also United States v. Martinez De Ortiz, 907 F.2d 629, 631 (7th Cir. 1990) (en banc). It is well-settled that a party offering a tape recording into evidence must prove that the tape is a true, accurate and authentic recording of the conversation between the parties involved. Smith v. City of Chicago, 242 F.3d 737, 741 (7th Cir. 2001). This standard can be established in two ways: a chain of custody showing that the tapes are in the same condition as when recorded, or other testimony to demonstrate the accuracy and trustworthiness of the evidence. United States v. Rivera, 153 F.3d 809, 812 (7th Cir. 1998). In this circuit, the authenticity and accuracy of a tape recording can be established through eyewitness testimony of the events in question. United States v. Brown, 136 F.3d 1176, 1182 (7th Cir. 1998). In this case, Indihar listened to the tapes, identified the voices of Thomas and Officer Romano, as well as his own, and testified that the tapes did, in fact, accurately reflect the recorded conversation. It is undisputed that Indihar was sufficiently familiar with the voices of Thomas and Romano to enable him to authenticate the recorded conversations. Moreover, during the conversation, Indihar stepped away from Thomas only briefly but remained in the 8 No. 01-3759 immediate vicinity. Thus, Indihar served as a competent witness for the authentication of the tape. Thomas argues that the government did not prove that the tape was not altered, but “merely raising the possibility (however hypothetical) of tampering is not sufficient to render evidence inadmissible.” Brown, 136 F.3d at 1182. Further, Officer Farrell testified as to the manner in which the tapes were recorded and stored. The district court was satisfied that the government put forth the proper foundation for the admissibility of the tapes. We are satisfied as well that no extraordinary circumstances exist to disturb the district court’s decision to admit the tapes into evidence. In addition, Thomas asserts that the government failed to present adequate evidence of chain of custody, but so long as other evidence is sufficient to establish the accuracy and authenticity of the tapes, lack of proof regarding a chain of custody does not render tapes inadmissible. United States v. Craig, 573 F.2d 455, 478 (7th Cir. 1977). When chain of custody is called into question without any evidence of tampering, and if the tapes were in official custody at all times, a presumption arises that the tapes were handled properly. United States v. Scott, 19 F.3d 1238, 1245 (7th Cir. 1994). We believe that the testimony of both Officer Farrell and Indihar gave the district court ample evidence to find that the government provided an adequate foundation for the admission of the tape recordings.