Cruz

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,  No. 07-30384 Plaintiff-Appellee, v.  D.C. No.

CR-07-00052-SEH

CHRISTOPHER PATRICK CRUZ,

OPINION

Defendant-Appellant.  Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Montana Sam E. Haddon, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted August 11, 2008—Billings, Montana

Filed February 10, 2009

Before: Alex Kozinski, Chief Judge, Stephen Reinhardt and Sidney R. Thomas, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Reinhardt; Dissent by Chief Judge Kozinski COUNSEL

Ryan M. Archer, Assistant United States Attorney, United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana, Helena, Montana, for the plaintiff-appellee. 1598 UNITED STATES v. CRUZ Joseph E. Thaggard, Assistant United States Attorney, United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana, Helena, Montana, for the plaintiff-appellee.

R. Henry Branom Jr., Assistant Federal Defender, Federal Defender for the District of Montana, Great Falls, Montana, for the defendant-appellant.

OPINION

REINHARDT, Circuit Judge:

At…