Opinion ID: 784922
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission of Wiretap Transcripts

Text: 15 Thomas and Vaughn also challenge the district court's decision to admit transcripts from wiretap surveillance recordings of phone calls in which they discussed and planned their joint purchase and resale of cocaine, and their efforts to convert certain recent shipments of powder cocaine into crack cocaine. They also challenge the district court's decision admitting the transcripts with their names affixed to identify the speakers. 16 This court has stated that district courts have wide discretion in determining whether to allow juries to use written transcripts as aids in listening to audiotape recordings. See United States v. Keck, 773 F.2d 759, 766 (7th Cir.1985). We have previously permitted transcripts to be admitted at trial and used by the jury during their deliberations when the underlying tapes are actually played during the trial (as was the case here). See United States v. Magana, 118 F.3d 1173, 1184 (7th Cir.1997); United States v. Crowder, 36 F.3d 691, 697 (7th Cir.1994); United States v. Camargo, 908 F.2d 179, 183 (7th Cir.1990); United States v. Puerta Restrepo, 814 F.2d 1236, 1242 (7th Cir.1987). Furthermore, the jury was clearly informed that if there was any variation between the tapes and the transcripts, they were to rely solely on the tapes. See Final Instruction No. 46; see also Crowder, 36 F.3d at 697; Puerta Restrepo, 814 F.2d at 1242. 17 As for naming Thomas and Vaughn on the transcripts based on DEA Special Agent Michael Kress's identification of their voices, we have also permitted speakers' names to be included on transcripts based on the lay testimony of a person familiar with the speakers' voices, see United States v. Briscoe, 896 F.2d 1476, 1491 (7th Cir.1990), and Agent Kress identified their voices on the tapes based on his personal interviews with the defendants. Under these circumstances, the district court did not abuse its discretion in permitting their names to be affixed to the transcripts. 18