Lopez

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

Plaintiff-Appellee, v. No. 05-50616 HECTOR RUBEN LOPEZ, a/k/a  D.C. No.

CR-01-00079-RJT

HECTOR RUBEN PIRATE, RUBEN

HECTOR, RUBEN “PIRATE” LOPEZ- OPINION

HECTOR,

Defendant-Appellant.  Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California Robert J. Timlin, Senior District Judge, Presiding

Submitted October 18, 2006* Pasadena, California

Filed February 5, 2007

Before: Harry Pregerson, Ronald M. Gould, and Richard R. Clifton, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Gould

*The panel finds this case appropriate for submission without oral argu- ment pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34(a)(2).

1309 1312 UNITED STATES v. LOPEZ

COUNSEL

Richard D. Rome, Esq., Van Nuys, California, for defendant- appellant Hector Ruben Lopez.

Jerry A. Behnke, Assistant United States Attorney, Riverside, California, for plaintiff-appellee United States of America.

OPINION

GOULD, Circuit Judge:

Hector Ruben Lopez appeals his guilty-plea…