EAST GREENBUSH — A man who allegedly held up an Applebee’s employee at gunpoint last month faces charges under an anti-racketeering law federal authorities used over the years to convict public officials, lawmakers, and gang leaders.
Mustafa Spain, 38, was charged Friday with robbery affecting interstate commerce under the Hobbs Act — a federal law prohibiting robbery or extortion that affects interstate commerce, according to a complaint filed in federal court.
Spain allegedly entered the Applebee’s off North Greenbush Road in the early morning hours of Oct. 18 and pointed a gun at an employee closing up the restaurant. According to the complaint, he then struck the employee with a gun and tied them up, taking the employee’s keys, license and $1,276 in cash…