Cardenas-Mendoza

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,  No. 07-10553 Plaintiff-Appellee, v.  D.C. No.

CR-05-01969-CKJ

JOSE CARDENAS-MENDOZA,

OPINION

Defendant-Appellant.  Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Arizona Cindy K. Jorgenson, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted December 10, 2008—San Francisco, California

Filed August 26, 2009

Before: Sidney R. Thomas and Richard A. Paez, Circuit Judges, and Vaughn R. Walker,* Chief District Judge.

Opinion by Chief District Judge Walker

*The Honorable Vaughn R. Walker, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, sitting by designation.

11801 UNITED STATES v. CARDENAS-MENDOZA 11805

COUNSEL

Francisco León, Francisco León P.C., Tuscon, Arizona, for the appellant.

Diane J. Humetewa, United States Attorney, District of Ari- zona, Christina M. Cabanillas, Appellate Chief and Bruce M. Ferg, Assistant United States Attorney, Tuscon, Arizona, for the appellee.

OPINION

WALKER, Chief District Judge:

Jose Cardenas-Mendoza appeals from a conviction in…