California Man Convicted of Identity Theft and Obstruction of Justice
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Quinten Giovanni Moody, aka Christano Rossi, 38, of Dublin, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute marijuana, aggravated identity theft, and obstruction of justice, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Moody, along with co-defendants Myra Boleche Minks, 44, formerly of Roseville, and Jessica Tang, 49, of Sacramento, was involved in a massive marijuana trafficking operation that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars by transporting marijuana from California to Georgia, Nevada, Texas, and other locations.
The scheme involved buying marijuana in California and transporting it to distributors in other states via couriers and baggage traveling on commercial airplanes and commercial shipping services. Once the marijuana was sold, Moody and his co-conspirators caused the proceeds of the marijuana sales to be returned to them in California.
Moody and his co-conspirators also committed unemployment insurance fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020, Moody, Minks, and Tang participated in a scheme to submit fraudulent claims of unemployment benefits through the California Department of Employment Development (EDD).
Moody’s attempt to obstruct the investigation into his activities involved using faked court documents. In April 2022, the FBI seized two vehicles, a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro and a 1956 Chevrolet pickup, that Moody purchased with the proceeds of his criminal activities. Moody and Minks created fake court documents in an attempt to obtain custody of the seized vehicles. The documents were presented to the FBI on two separate occasions, but were recognized as fraudulent and the vehicles were not released.
Moody is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on July 11, 2023. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison and a fine up to $5 million for the marijuana distribution conspiracy.
Charges are pending against Minks and Tang. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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