Wells

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,  No. 03-35178 Plaintiff-Appellee, D.C. Nos. v. CV-97-00016-CCL

ROBERT VAIO WELLS,  CR-90-00020-CCL

Defendant-Appellant. CV-90-00042-CCL

CR-90-00005-CCL

 OPINION

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Montana Charles C. Lovell, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted July 12, 2004—Seattle, Washington

Filed January 11, 2005

Before: Betty B. Fletcher, Clyde H. Hamilton,* and Marsha S. Berzon, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Hamilton; Dissent by Judge B. Fletcher

*The Honorable Clyde H. Hamilton, Senior United States Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, sitting by designa- tion.

333 336 UNITED STATES v. WELLS

COUNSEL

Marcus S. Topel and Daniel F. Cook, Topel & Goodman, San Francisco, California, for the defendant-appellant.

James E. Seykora and Bernard F. Hubley, Assistant United States Attorneys, Helena, Montana, for the plaintiff-appellee.

OPINION

HAMILTON, Senior…