Minuta’s Slice of Pie

Roberto Minuta is the kind of guy I knew from Jersey. I keep calling him “Dominic” by mistake. And, sometimes typing “Minuto,” and practically hearing him laugh a Jersey laugh from the 80s because I keep goofing up his name. “What are you trying to do to me?” he might ask.

Minuta’s only 36, so he wasn’t an 80s teenager. He owns a tatoo parlor. Then there’s the fact that I’ve no idea whether he’s been to the Jersey shore.

Minuta takes no issue with the allegation that he was in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021. He’s the guy I’ve talked about on several radio shows. The guy who hijacked a golf cart at the Ellipse to zoom to the Capitol when he heard that’s where the action was, his passenger having to Google directions to get there. The Capitol was already breached at that time, but he didn’t want to miss out. After all, things at the Ellipse went off without incident.

Minuta was arrested March 8, 2021, and was released the same day. He was first indicted March 31, 2021 (for those of you keeping score, this was the “Second Superseding Indictment” of seven). As of January 12, 2022, Minuta and eight other co-defendants are now on a new Indictment, USA v. Rhodes, et al. Minuta faces now five counts, including Seditious Conspiracy, Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting, Conspiracy to Prevent an Officer from Discharging Duties, and Tampering with Documents or Proceedings and Aiding and Abetting.

“Dominic, this is not good,” I would say, if I were a friend and was trying to elicit a weak smile.

While this all sounds terrible, there’s something about Minuta that keeps him in that “friends” pocket in my mind. Is Minuta defined by the events of January 6 or is Minuta the guy you call when you get a flat tire because not only does he have a tire iron and yours is buried under ten boxes of stuff going to an antiques store, he’s the guy who knows the tricks to loosen the jammed-up lug nut?

Minuta owns a tatoo parlo in Newburgh, New York, the “Casa Di Dolore.” He’s still open for business. It’s not a big place, but he’s got a big voice. Minuta first made headlines for initially closing, reopening, and refusing to re-close his shop during the pandemic, pushing back against a statewide executive action by ex-governor Cuomo. As the story goes, local Oath Keepers heard what was going on, and turned out in support, along with a few others from the community, on May 30, 2019, for a couple of hours. Mid-Hudson News reported that “Two police officers in an unmarked SUV were parked on a nearby side street observing the large gathering.” Minuta told the reporter he notified the local police department of his plans to violate the executive order. Minuta asked for social distancing in the shop and required employees to wear masks.

“My shop has been sanitized and our equipment is sterilized to surgical standards all of the time. If customers request additional measures, we will accommodate them to keep everyone safe.”

At least one podcast characterized Minuta’s re-opening as “the only business opening with a rally in defiance” of Cuomo’s orders. (At the time I draft this blog, this one interview remains available on line; others have been removed from other media outlets and podcasts.)

On July 17, 2021 - so after Minuta was indicted, arrested, released, and is a co-defendant in a case underway with activity - Minuta was at work and several persons entered the shop. From noon to 2:30 pm, these strangers hung out with Minuta, got matching tatoos, and even shared a pizza ordered by one of the members of the group.

Minuta, being who he is, insisted over objection of paying for the pizza.

Turns out it was multiple undercover FBI agents and/or CIs.

Looking to see what he would say. Writing up a 3-page encounter note. Laying out a summary of what Minuta told them about January 6 and the prosecutor’s efforts, and guess what? It’s consistent with what he’s been saying all along AND he got the answers right to the FBI agents’ legal questions.

Of course, the FBI encounter report says “Author did not attempt to elicit any information from MINUTA regarding MINUTA’s charged conduct. The author asked one clarifying question, and that was if the felony charges were conspiracy charges, which MINUTA confirmed. Additionally, the author did not instruct the GROUP to elicit information regarding MINUTA’s pending charges.”

In Jersey speak? Wasn’t there some kind of code against this shit in the 80s?

So what the FBI is telling us through this incident is that they’ve got Minuta, they’ve got him charged, the guy pleads not guilty, the guy is represented by an attorney whose name and address and telephone number and e-mail address are all over the record of the case and who has appeared with him and on his behalf in court multiple times, the guy doesn’t take a plea like four other co-defendants did in June and July 2021, you can’t shake him down because it’s 2021 and that level of behavior arguably might result in some public embarrassment if found out and this guy has a big mouth, and so, instead, you go get tattoos? Wow. Good job United States Federal Bureau of Investigation under the direction of the U.S. Department of Justice, the federal prosecutors in this case.

The guy paid for the pizza for the group.

The FBI agent’s reaction to this kind of Jersey courtesy?

“During the encounter and at the objection of the GROUP, MINUTA paid for pizza ordered by a member of the GROUP. For context, the author understood that MINUTA owned the tattoo parlor, and therefore recognized and appreciated the business the GROUP and author provided. The author viewed MINUTA’s payment for the pizza as a sign of appreciation and customer service.”

At least the agent got that right. In Jersey, as in The City, whether Gotti or Tony, a guy’s gonna pour you a cup of coffee as a way of saying thanks and giving you the opportunity to return the respect when he’s in your house. Some of us live by the Golden Rule, others of us seek to exploit it.