Judge Won’t Throw Out Bomb-Related Charges
A federal judge on Monday refused to throw out the government’s strongest charges against a Garden Grove man accused of using a bomb as a weapon of mass destruction outside an Orange County congresswoman’s office.
U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney ruled against Hai Duc Le, 35, whose attorney asked that two counts of a new four-count indictment be dismissed.
Le faces charges of using a weapon of mass destruction, carrying a destructive device, possession of an unregistered firearm -- in this case, a pipe bomb -- and illegally making a destructive device.
The bomb, which was filled with roofing nails, blew up in Le’s lap while he was inside his car on June 15, 2003, parked next to the campaign office of Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Anaheim). He was severely scarred.
Charges against Le’s brother, Hien Duc Le, 33, were dropped. The brother was accused of being an accessory after the fact, a count related to the alleged bomb-making, and obstruction of justice.
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