United States v. Nghia Le

GOODWIN, Circuit Judge:

Nghia Le (“Le”) got the idea that a Tallahassee business man kept a large supply of cash from his two nail salons at his house. He decided to employ a small band of rent-a-robbers to fly from Los Angeles, California to Tallahassee, Florida to perform a home invasion robbery. After the robbery went awry, the mercenaries talked, and Le was indicted and convicted under the Hobbs Act and for use of a firearm in connection with these crimes. He now appeals his convictions and his sentence on a variety of grounds.

The principal question before us is whether this is a federal…