SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Quinten Giovanni Moody, aka Christano Rossi, 38, of Dublin, pleaded responsible in the present day to conspiracy to distribute marijuana, aggravated identification theft, and obstruction of justice, U.S. Legal professional Phillip A. Talbert introduced.
In response to courtroom paperwork, between June 2017 and June 2022, Moody, co-defendant Myra Boleche Minks, 44, previously of Roseville, and different co‑conspirators generated tons of of 1000’s of {dollars} by transporting marijuana from California to Georgia, Nevada, Texas, and different places. Moody and others purchased marijuana in California after which transported the marijuana to distributors in different states through couriers and baggage touring on industrial airplanes and industrial transport companies. As soon as the marijuana was offered, Moody and others precipitated the proceeds of the marijuana gross sales to be returned to them in California through the use of couriers to journey on industrial airline flights carrying money, utilizing transport companies to ship money, and inflicting others at their path to deposit money into financial institution accounts.
Moody and others additionally dedicated unemployment insurance coverage fraud throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting in August 2020, Moody, Minks, and co-defendant Jessica Tang, 49, of Sacramento, participated in a scheme to submit fraudulent claims of unemployment advantages by means of the California Division of Employment Growth (EDD). As a part of this scheme, on Sept. 4, 2020, Moody used a Financial institution of America debit card within the title of an identification theft sufferer to make purchases at a Cartier retailer and Louis Vuitton retailer in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Moody sought to hinder the investigation into his actions through the use of faked courtroom paperwork. As a part of the investigation, the USA utilized for seizure warrants for a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro and a 1956 Chevrolet pickup that Moody bought with the proceeds of his legal actions. On April 15, 2022, personnel from the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized the 2 autos in Georgia pursuant to the seizure warrants issued within the Jap District of California. The autos had been transported to the FBI’s Atlanta Area Workplace for storage. On Might 8, 2022, at roughly 9:30 p.m., a flatbed truck from towing firm arrived on the FBI’s Atlanta area workplace. The tow truck driver knowledgeable FBI safety personnel that he had been directed to retrieve the autos from FBI’s custody. The tow truck driver gave FBI safety personnel paperwork, together with a doc purporting to be an order issued by the Honorable John Okay. Larkins III, U.S. Justice of the Peace Choose for the Northern District of Georgia. The paperwork presupposed to order the U.S. Marshal and the FBI to launch the autos. The paperwork, nonetheless, had been fraudulent and had been created by Moody and Minks for the aim of fraudulently acquiring custody of the 2 seized autos.
On Might 21, 2022, a tow truck from a unique towing firm arrived on the FBI’s Atlanta area workplace. Once more, the driving force introduced a pretend federal courtroom order purporting to authorize the discharge of the seized autos. The fraudulent federal courtroom paperwork had been altered from the earlier try. FBI personnel didn’t launch the autos. Shortly earlier than the arrival of the tow truck, a co-conspirator referred to as personnel on the FBI’s Atlanta area workplace and pretended to be an FBI Particular Agent. Whereas in character, the co-conspirator tried to contact the workers assigned to the gate outdoors of the sector workplace to facilitate the tow truck getting access to the FBI property.
Fees are pending in opposition to Minks and Tang. The fees are solely allegations; the defendants are presumed harmless till and until confirmed responsible past an inexpensive doubt.
Moody is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Choose John A. Mendez on July 11, 2023. Moody faces a most statutory penalty of 40 years in jail and a tremendous as much as $5 million for the marijuana distribution conspiracy. He faces a most sentence of two years in jail consecutive to another time period of incarceration and a tremendous of as much as $250,000 for the aggravated identification theft depend, and he faces as much as 10 years in jail and a tremendous of as much as $250,000 for the obstruction of justice depend. The precise sentence, nonetheless, can be decided on the discretion of the courtroom after consideration of any relevant statutory components and the Federal Sentencing Tips, which take note of a variety of variables.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with help from the Drug Enforcement Administration, California Freeway Patrol, Placer County Sheriff’s Workplace, Placer County Probation Division, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Division, Colma Police Division, Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority Police Division, Roseville Police Division, San Francisco Police Division, Atlanta Police Division, U.S. Division of Labor – Workplace of Inspector Basic, and the California Employment Growth Division. Assistant U.S. Legal professional Justin Lee, and Sam Stefanki are prosecuting the case.
This case is a part of Venture Secure Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing collectively all ranges of legislation enforcement and the communities they serve to scale back violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everybody. On Might 26, 2021, the U.S. Division of Justice launched a violent crime discount technique strengthening PSN based mostly on these core rules: fostering belief and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that assist forestall violence from occurring within the first place, setting centered and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the outcomes.