United States v. Johnny Blaze, A/K/A Ruben Hur Cedeno, A/K/A "Carl"

JOHN C. PORFILIO, Circuit Judge.

In a trial that revealed a scenario of which Elmore Leonard would have been proud, Johnny Blaze was convicted of numerous counts of extortion and racketeering. On appeal, Mr. Blaze contends the court erred when it: (1) did not suppress evidence officers retrieved without a warrant from his locked briefcase; (2) refused to remove appointed counsel at Mr. Blaze’s request; and (3) did not grant a mistrial when a witness mentioned a polygraph exam. In addition, Mr. Blaze asserts he was denied effective assistance of counsel. These contentions notwithstanding, we…