Guilty plea in bizarre marijuana smuggling, EDD fraud and impersonation case [The Sacramento Bee]

Sacramento Bee (CA)

A Bay Area man accused of heading a criminal organization that peddled California marijuana to five states, engaged in unemployment insurance fraud and impersonated federal agents pleaded guilty Tuesday in Sacramento.

Quinten Giovanni Moody, who the Justice Department said also is known of Christano Rossi and is from Dublin, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana, aggravated identity theft and obstruction of justice, charges that could have netted him more than 40 years in prison.

The plea agreement Moody signed before Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez recommends a sentence of seven years. Mendez, who is not bound by the recommendation, set sentencing for July 11.

Moody, former Roseville resident Myra Boleche Minks, 44, and Sacramento resident Jessica Tang, 48, were indicted last year by a Sacramento federal grand jury in a bizarre and wide-ranging series of alleged crimes.

The allegations include Minks impersonating, at various times, an agent of the Secret Service, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration; federal prosecutors and a Justice Department employee who submitted fake search warrants, court papers say.

‘Moody-Minks Organization’

Court papers describe Moody and Minks as being part of what authorities called “the Moody-Minks Organization,” which allegedly moved marijuana from California to Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, and Texas.

“Moody and Minks used couriers, airline employees, and a shipping company to transport the marijuana to various destinations,” the Justice Department said, adding that Minks posed as a federal agent on several occasions.

One of those occasions came in 2020, when she allegedly called California Highway Patrol investigators about a drive-by shooting in Oakland to ask if the driver of one of the cars involved “had made any statements to law enforcement,” court papers say.

That person, using the name of DEA agent Amanda Wilkins, also told the CHP they might find $350,000 in cash inside one of the cars involved, court papers say, adding that there is no DEA agent under that name.

Moody and Minks also were accused of orchestrating an effort to produce phony court orders to try to win the release of two vintage automobiles of Moody’s that the FBI had seized in Georgia, court papers say.

Those efforts led to the guilty plea by Moody to the obstruction of justice count, which stems from efforts to retrieve a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro and a 1956 Chevrolet pickup truck of Moody’s from an FBI lockup, court papers say.

The vehicles were ordered seized in April 2022, and FBI agents executing search warrants at an auto repair shop in Cleveland, Georgia, on April 15 took the vehicles to the agency’s Atlanta field office, court papers say.

Three weeks later, a flatbed truck arrived at the FBI office and the truck driver told agents he had been directed to pick up both vehicles and produced documents to back up his claim, court papers say.

“The tow truck driver gave FBI security personnel documents, including a document purporting to be an order issued by the Honorable John K. Larkins III, a United States magistrate judge for the Northern District of Georgia,” court papers say. “The documents purported to order the United States Marshal and FBI to release the vehicles.

“However, the documents were not issued by Judge Larkin. In fact, they contain several hallmarks of fraudulent court orders, including the presence of multiple case numbers and misidentification of Judge Larkin as a United States District Judge.”

Court papers say Moody and a co-conspirator created the documents, and that on May 10, 2022, two days after the first attempt to get the vehicles, Moody called the towing company and told them to return to pick up both the Camaro and the truck.

A tow truck showed up at the FBI office again on May 21 and the driver presented officials with phony court documents that had been altered from the first attempt, court papers say.

‘Pretended to be an FBI Special Agent’

“FBI personnel did not release the vehicles,” court papers say. “Shortly before the arrival of the tow truck, a co-conspirator called personnel at the FBI’s Atlanta field office and pretended to be an FBI Special Agent.

“While in character, the co-conspirator attempted to contact the employees assigned to the gate outside of the field office to facilitate the two truck gaining access to the FBI property.”

Moody never regained access to the vehicles, and as part of his plea agreement he agreed to forfeit both to the federal government.

Tang, who faces mail fraud and identity theft counts related to allegations involving $120,000 in phony California Employment Development Department claims, was released from custody last June and her case is pending.

Minks remains in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail pending the outcome of her case.