United States Third Circuit

Conviction of defendants Salahuddin and Cooper for conspiring to extort under color of official right in violation of the Hobbs Act is affirmed, where: 1) proof of an overt act is not required for conviction of Hobbs Act conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. section 1951(a), and thus the district court did not err in leaving such a requirement out of the jury instructions; and 2) acquittal on the substantive extortion counts does not undermine a conspiracy conviction, as it is the illegal agreement that is criminalized in Hobbs Act conspiracy, not completion of the agreed-upon venture.

Appellate Information

• Decided 09/03/2014
• Published 09/03/2014

Judges

• Fisher

Court

• United States Third Circuit

Counsel