Haywood woman arrested on federal charges of kidnapping and extortion threats

Sep. 16—A Haywood County woman who's part of a shadow movement to overthrow the government and replace it with a new order based on common law has been arrested on federal charges.

Darris Moody, 56, is accused of putting kidnapping bounties on numerous local officials, promising a $10,000 reward to anyone who helps bring them in for arrest. The bounties claim the local officials are "enemies of the people" and must face justice.

More than 30 officials in Haywood County were targeted — including county commissioners, school board members, Waynesville aldermen, several local judges, and even the sheriff and district attorney.

The bounties allege that these officials — and all government officials for that matter — are part of a corrupt "de facto" government that's oppressing true rule by the people.

The bounties call on any citizen to arrest the local officials — no warrant needed — to face their crimes before a shadow court of the people in exchange for a $10,000 reward.

The officials named in the bounties were sent letters posing as a "writs of execution" that explain their so-called crimes and demand payment of fines. The letters, sent to the local officials in June and July, included this warning:

"You must get your affairs in order and be prepared to plead for mercy before the tribunal," the letters stated.

But why?

The phony writs of execution stem from a national underground movement calling on its foot soldiers across the country to arrest officials so the true government of the people can rise up. Moody apparently bought into the conspiracy theory.

In August, when attempting to file false documents at the Haywood County Register of Deeds Office, Moody had an encounter with an employee she knew from high school. She later left two voice mail messages for the employee warning them they could be next, according to federal court records.

"This is very serious," Moody said on the voice mail message. "If you continue to serve in government when the people have fired you or arrested you or served papers, you're committing more felonies by the day. I have higher jurisdiction than all of you in government. And I have power to serve papers. And the government's fired."

Moody's further revealed her dedication to the cause in an email to a Haywood County Sheriff's deputy in August, according to court records.

"I will continue to fight for our freedoms back in this county and I will continue to only bow to God and if my house gets blown up, so be it. Soldiers must be willing to sacrifice their lives for their country's freedom. And I am," the email states.

Moody's profile picture on Facebook is of a Revolutionary War soldier holding a musket, with an image of a flag and the year 1776.

The phony writs sent to local officials were based on templates provided by the "People's Bureau of Investigation."

The People's Bureau of Investigation purports to be defenders of the Republic, a self-anointed new guard taking back America, and calls on like-minded citizens to join the cause.

"Everyone alive is an unpaid PBI agent. The moment you are born you become an agent," the PBI website claims.

Moody downloaded the template, filled in the names of local officials and began shipping them off, eventually numbering more than 30, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court.

Moody then entered the names of those she targeted with the writs on an online database with the People's Bureau of Investigation. The drag net even included the CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center and Waynesville public works staff.

The investigation

As local officials began receiving the phony writs of execution over the summer, they first reported it to local law enforcement. As the number of officials receiving the letters mounted, the case was soon sent up the chain to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Although the letters weren't signed, it didn't take long to identify who they came from. Some of the letters were faxed, and Moody's name appeared on the top of the fax.

"No one was even supposed to know who served those papers. It was supposed to come from the people," Moody said in a voice mail to the register of deeds employee.

Moody also signed her name to the email sent to the deputy.

Further, Moody was twice seen posting notices on the bulletin board of the Waynesville post office in July, according to the FBI affidavit. These notices, baring the words "URGENT NOTICE" in red and all caps, named various officials who were targeted with the phony writs and accused them of committing felonies.

"Moody told employees at the post office that the people listed in the notices should be put in jail. The notices were removed by post office employees and thrown away after being photographed," according to an FBI agent who worked the case.

One of the post office employees happened to know Moody and was able to identify her in a photo to FBI agents.

Moody has been charged with the federal crime of "transmission of a threat in interstate or foreign commerce." The FBI affidavit alleges that Moody transmitted a "communication containing a threat to kidnap" and the "intent to extort" money in connection with the kidnapping threat.

The kidnapping threat refers to the $10,000 bounty the writs offered to anyone who brought the officials in, and the extortion refers to the demand of large fines from the local officials.

The FBI arrested Moody in Haywood County on Sept. 7. When agents came to her home, they found a notice posted on the front door claiming that the U.S. government had no jurisdiction on the premises.

At a federal court hearing in Asheville on Sept. 12, Moody was released on terms of home confinement with electronic monitoring. Moody's occupation is a real estate appraiser.