Marler

BACKGROUND

In April 2002, Marler suffered a state felony conviction in Montana for robbery and received a twelve-year sentence. On January 5, 2005, he escaped from custody. He was arrested on January 11, 2005, by officers of the Great Falls, Montana, Police Department for conspiring with Melissa Wilson to rob the casino where Wilson worked. The scheme was uncovered when Wilson’s father discovered bullet holes, shell casings, and a hand-drawn map of the casino in Wilson’s residence. Wilson told officers that she wanted to “get back at the casi- no” because she had been unjustly accused of stealing money from the casino, and no one had apologized to her about the situation.

In April 2005, Marler pled guilty in state court in Deer Lodge, Montana, to a charge of escape and received a two- year sentence. In November 2005, he was convicted following UNITED STATES v. MARLER 6077 a jury trial in state court in Great Falls, Montana, of conspir- acy to commit robbery and criminal mischief and received a thirty-year prison term.

Officers investigating the robbery conspiracy found photos of Marler holding handguns and interviewed several people who stated that Marler…