96 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1258, 96 Daily Journal D.A.R. 2135 United States of America v. E.C. Investments, Inc., AKA Great Western Casino, Inc. William C. Armstrong Ira Englander Gyorgy Hargitai Roger Keesee

77 F.3d 327 96 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1258 , 96 Daily Journal D.A.R. 2135 UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. E.C. INVESTMENTS, INC., aka Great Western Casino, Inc.; William C. Armstrong; Ira Englander; Gyorgy Hargitai; Roger Keesee, Defendants-Appellees. No. 94-50631. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted Oct. 16, 1995. Decided Feb. 27, 1996. Daniel P. Collins, Assistant United States Attorney, Los Angeles, California, for plaintiff-appellant. James D. Henderson, Crane, Rayle & Lennemann, Santa Monica, California, for defendant-appellee Keesee. Richard P. Crane, Jr., Crane & McCann, Santa Monica, California, for defendant-appellee Englander and E.C. Investments. Robert E. Courtney, Redondo Beach, California, for defendant-appellant Hargitai. James T. Duff, Duff & Smith, Los Angeles, California, for defendant-appellee Armstrong. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Before: POOLE and O'SCANNLAIN, Circuit Judges; MARQUEZ, * District Judge. O'SCANNLAIN, Circuit Judge: 1 We must decide whether California's prohibition against the use of slot machines may serve as the predicate offense…