A man has been convicted in a multi-state spree of home invasion robberies that targeted Asian business owners.
The Justice Department said a federal jury in Philadelphia found 44-year-old Tahn Le guilty of robbery and firearms charges for home invasions that happened in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Court documents say the robberies occurred between October 2009 and May 2010, but don’t specify how many invasions Le and others are believed to have committed in total. Six other people have pleaded guilty to their roles in the robberies, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors say the group targeted Asian business owners because the believed the businessmen kept money and valuable items in their homes.
In one instance, they broke into the Falls Church home of an owner of Jesse Taylor Seafood, a D.C. business, struck the owner’s son with a handgun and tried to steal items at gunpoint, according to court documents.
In another case, members of the group went to the home of the owner of a Salisbury nail salon; assaulted the owner and his family members, bounding them with duct tape; and stole jewelry, cash and other valuables from the home, court documents say.
