Appellants Aponte, Pulliza, and Brand raise several claims of error on appeal of then- convictions for various substantive offenses in connection with a cocaine importation and distribution scheme. Finding none meritorious, we affirm.
I. Reconstruction of Trial Record
After persistent efforts by appellate counsel to obtain a complete trial transcript, the trial court determined that certain portions— closing arguments and the court’s jury charge — had been permanently lost. Appellants then moved this court for summary reversal, which we denied without prejudice in an order requesting the court to attempt a-recreation adequate for appeal, or, if unable, to determine whether appellants were prejudiced as a result of remaining gaps. The court recreated its jury charge, and located a transcript containing the complete closing argument on behalf of Pulliza and a “substantial portion” of the closing argument for Aponte. It received from Brand’s trial attorney some incomplete notes prepared for his closing, along with assurances that it would be impossible to recreate the actual argument. The government filed what the parties agreed is a “reasonable recreation” of its main closing argument, as well as a recreation of its rebuttal, which appellants view as inadequate. All agreed that no contemporaneous objections had been raised during these segments of the trial. The court then certified that the record had been reconstructed
as best as the court and the parties could. The defendants have not shown any specific prejudice arising from the absence of the trial transcript other than the inconvenience of not having the precise text ... for purposes of developing argument on appeal on the basis of clear error. 1
*563
Appellants contend adequate appellate review of their convictions is impossible because the court did not produce a reasonable recreation of the missing transcripts,
2
entitling them to reversal and a new trial. They concede that due process does not automatically require reversal when a defendant is denied a full verbatim trial transcript,
see, e.g., Bundy v. Wilson,
The Act provides,
inter alia,
that all open court proceedings in criminal cases “shall be recorded verbatim.” 28 U.S.C. § 753(b)(1) (1982). This provision is mandatory,
United States v. Andiarena,
Alternatively, appellants suggest we follow the Fifth Circuit’s view that new counsel on appeal may obtain reversal for lack of a verbatim transcript under § 753(b)(1) merely by showing the missing portion is “substantial and significant,”
United States v. Selva,
The majority of circuits construing § 753(b)(1) have held that to obtain reversal and a new trial, whether or not there is new appellate counsel, defendant must show specific prejudice to his ability to perfect an appeal, beyond mere non-compliance with the act.
See United States v. Gallo,
Appellants conceded to the trial court that the government’s reconstruction of its main closing argument is substantially accurate. This should enable effective review for plain error, yet appellants make no particularized claim that such error occurred. Nor do they make any claim that plain error could have occurred during the closing arguments of one of their own attorneys. With respect to the government’s rebuttal, we are
*564
hard-pressed to conceive what sort of illegitimate argument could have been made during these few moments that might have “so poisoned the well that the trial’s outcome was likely affected,”
Arrieta-Agressot v. United States,
II. Motion for Continuance
On the morning of trial the defense made a final request for continuance based on the last minute decision of Jorge Hernandez Miller, the lead co-conspirator, to plead guilty and become the government’s chief witness. Remaining defendants argued this necessitated more time to adjust trial strategy and gather information to impeach him. After thorough exploration, the court, though sympathetic, saw no justification for delay:
[Y]ou had the opportunity to interview him ... as you told me in chambers that this has been done and now that all the Jencks Act [material] has been turned over ... the latest bits of information that were generated like the interviews [of the witness] with the agents ... are going to be turned over to you including rough notes, ... I will not continue this case.
A trial court has wide discretion to grant or deny a request for continuance.
United States v. Saccoccia,
Appellants allege the court failed to address “special circumstances of an emergent nature beyond their control.” They claim that after Miller’s change of plea they suddenly faced an unexpected need to gather impeachment material and to do additional preparation, as they had divided responsibilities among themselves due to the considerable volume of trial material involved, 4 and Miller’s defection overburdened the remaining defendants. They contend they “could not have been more diligent,” would have found valuable impeachment material if granted additional time, and were prejudiced in cross-examining Miller because of the denial; inconvenience to others, by comparison, was minimal.
Appellants’ accusations against the court are unfounded. As the court pointed out, the defense had had ample time and substantial assistance from the court to prepare for trial, and although more might have helped, that is always true. Defense counsel could have anticipated that a division of labor strategy might leave them in a bind if one dropped out, especially since the original indictment included some 31 co-defendants who had been pleading out on a regular basis up to and even during trial. The court was very careful to elicit from counsel precisely *565 what more they thought they needed and hoped to find to impeach Miller, and why. It gave a thoroughly reasoned response, observing that the defense had been given unlimited access to the witness for four days prior to the start of trial and at least several more afterward until he took the stand, a “dream for a defense attorney,” as well as notes government agents had taken during their interviews of the witness. There was no abuse of discretion in ruling this was sufficient.
We add only that we do not see, even with hindsight, what more a continuance would have achieved. The defense had apparently hoped to discredit Miller by implicating him in the uncharged murders of several accomplices in the cocaine conspiracy, and wished more time to locate, interview and subpoena witnesses who could tie Miller to these crimes. The court, however, in a pre-trial ruling, had strictly prohibited introduction of extrinsic evidence of Miller’s involvement in the murders and limited cross-examination in reference to these crimes strictly to questioning his motivation to enter the plea agreement,
5
in accordance with Federal Rule of Evidence 608(b).
6
See Tigges v. Cataldo,
III. Prosecutorial Misconduct
Before trial government counsel had informed the defense and the court that Miller had stated during plea negotiations that he had decided to plead guilty because “he thought that he was going to be imputed with some murders to which he denies, and ... the reason that motivated him is because he wanted to clear the record that in fact he did not participate in those murders.” During a pre-trial interview Miller had told defense counsel roughly the same — that he was afraid “the government ... [was] going to bring a massacre against him, a murder against him, but he also stated to us that in fact he did not do that.” The plea agreement was admitted in evidence. It made no mention, of course, of murders.
During cross-examination defense counsel sought vigorously to impeach Miller’s testimony linking their clients to the drug venture by attempting to solicit an admission from Miller that he was motivated to cooperate with the government by a desire to “minimize the severity of the accusations against himself,” specifically by avoiding being implicated in, or charged with, the murders. Miller repeatedly denied such motivation, professing only a desire to “repent” and “tell the truth.”
Appellants now contend this was an outright lie that due process required the government to correct.
7
They rely principally upon
Napue v. Illinois,
There are two answers to this. The first is that the court had already ruled that *566 testimony of murders was too prejudicial to be admitted. But, more important, although defendant refused this specific characterization of his motives, he did concede to believing the plea agreement meant that “if I speak about things of which I have knowledge or in which I have taken part, I wouldn’t be indicted for them,” and “would be sentenced to fewer years.” This was a sufficient acknowledgment that his claim of rebirth was less than genuine; there could be-no question the government had no duty to go further.
IV. Jury Instructions
Having raised no objections to any aspect of the jury instructions at trial, Aponte now claims plain error both in the court’s explanation of reasonable doubt and in its failure to give a requested instruction on the defendant’s exercise of his right to remain silent. The following instructions (emphasis ours) contain the alleged errors:
A reasonable doubt is a doubt based upon reason and common sense, and may arise from a careful and impartial consideration of all the evidence, or from lack of evidence. Proof beyond a reasonable doubt is proof that leaves you firmly convinced that the defendant is guilty.
If after a careful and impartial consideration with your fellow jurors of all the evidence, you, are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty, it is your duty to find the defendant not guilty. On the othér hand, if after a careful and impartial consideration with your fellow jurors of all the evidence, you are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty, it is your duty to find the defendant guilty.
... Each defendant is presumed to be innocent and does not have to testify or present any evidence to prove innocence. The government has the burden of proving every element of the charge beyond a reasonable doubt. If it fails to do so, you must return a not-guilty verdict.
A..
Aponte contends that by the first paragraph the court permitted the jury to convict by a degree of proof lower than constitutionally required. He argues that “firmly convinced” suggests a burden of proof akin to the civil “clear and convincing” standard, use of which is impermissible in a criminal case.
See Addington v. Texas,
Assessing the instructions as a whole,
Victor v. Nebraska,
— U.S. -, -,
*567 B.
As was his right, Aponte elected not to testify, and requested the following instruction be given to the jury:
Under the law, a defendants [sic] does not need to testify, since it is the Government who must prove her [sic] 9 guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. ■ No presumption or inference of guilt may be made or drawn.
The court declined, instructing instead as quoted above. While he did not object, Aponte now claims violation of his constitutional rights.
The Fifth Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant both the right to remain silent and that no adverse inferences may be drawn from his exercise of this right.
Carter v. Kentucky,
Our question is whether instructing that the government has the burden of proof and that defendant does not have to testify or present evidence adequately communicates that no adverse inferences may be drawn from the fact that he does not testify. The government urges that we answered this affirmatively in
Ladd,
where we approved an instruction that the defendant’s silence “cannot even be considered by you in arriving at your verdict.”
Id.
Not so. A jury might well think that a defendant’s right not to testify means merely that he cannot be called as a witness, leaving it to draw such conclusions from his silence as it felt warranted. An instruction not to consider his failure to testify precisely forbids drawing inferences.
Ladd,
We also find, per
United States v. Olano,
Olano
contemplates that we guide our discretion under Rule 52(b) by further determining whether the error “seriously affect[ed] .the fairness, integrity or public reputation of the judicial proceedings.”
V. Double Jeopardy
Aponte maintains that because the same offenses underlying his convictions also formed the basis of a civil forfeiture of some personal assets, pursuant to the Controlled Substances and Money Laundering Acts, 21 U.S.C. §§ 881(a)(6) and (7) and 18 U.S.C. § 981, respectively, his criminal sentence constitutes a prohibited second punishment, for the same offenses, in violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
See, e.g., United States v. Dixon,
The Clause only becomes relevant, however, once a defendant has first been placed in jeopardy, and “even then, it is only the
second
proceeding that is constitutionally endangered.”
United States v. Pierce,
The convictions of appellants are therefore affirmed.
Notes
. Appellants concede plain error is their sole recourse with respect to the incomplete portions of the transcript.
. We limit our consideration to the closing arguments and jury charge, as any other alleged breaches in the record were not brought to the attention of the district court.
. Appellants have all obtained new counsel for this appeal.
. Aponte points out that discovery involved "some 1453 documents totaling over 5000 pages.”
. This ruling has not been appealed.
. (b) Specific instances of conduct. Specific instances of the conduct of a witness, for the purpose of attacking or supporting the witness' credibility, other than conviction of crime ... may not be proved by extrinsic evidence.
Fed.R.Evid. 608(b).
.Defense counsel made no indication to the court at the time that the defense believed the government was under an obligation to clarify Miller's statements about his motivation to plead, and, indeed, indicated satisfaction with coverage of the issue when the court inquired prior to allowing examination of Miller to proceed into another area.
. The "firmly convinced" language has withstood similar attack in a variety of contexts.
See United States v. Velasquez,
. The district court apparently accepted from Aponte's appellate counsel a set of proposed jury instructions that counsel believed had been submitted to the court but were inexplicably absent from the record. We note that these instructions were not prepared for Aponte, but for a Sonia Berrios Rodriguez, but since the government did not object to their inclusion in the appellate record as Aponte’s requested instructions, we will treat them as such.
. This obligation is also imposed by statute. 18 U.S.C. § 3481 (formerly designated as 28 U.S.C. § 632).
See Bruno v. United States,
. At this stage of review for forfeited error the assessment is whether the error was “harmless beyond a reasonable doubt,” and differs from so-called "harmless error” review only in that the defendant bears the burden of persuasion.
Olano,
. The following chronology is pertinent:
Jury empaneled: September 21, 1993
Criminal trial began: September 22, 1993
Verdicts read: October 1, 1993
Civil action commenced: Nov. 4, 1993
Forfeiture stipulated: March 9, 1994
Forfeiture order: March 10, 1994
Criminal sentencing: March 21, 1994
