Mongols associates Benjamin Moody and Steve Taylor sentenced after man beaten, ute stolen

26-06-2025

A man invited to the Mongols' pad for a drink was later beaten, had his ute keys taken from him and was forced to sign the vehicle over to the gang.
He signed the paperwork under duress after he was told the only alternative was for him to cough up

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National Geographic

13-08-2025

National Geographic

Who were the Mongols?

Mongols were known for warfare but celebrated for productive peace. Humble steppe dwellers, Mongol leaders mastered the era's most advanced technology. Embodying these tensions helped turn the Mongol Empire into the second-largest kingdom of all time. At its peak, the Mongol Empire covered the largest contiguous territory in history. Led at first by Genghis Khan, the empire lasted from the 13th century until the 14th century. During that time, it expanded to cover most of Eurasia, thanks to advanced technology and a massive horde of nomadic Mongol armies. The rise of Genghis Khan The Mongol Empire was founded in 1206, when Temüjin, son of a chieftain, assumed power and changed his name to Chinggis Khan (styled as 'Genghis Khan' in the West and meaning 'universal ruler'). The young warrior had already defeated the Mongols' most powerful leader and fomented dissatisfaction among his people's aristocracy. But he proved to be not just one of the great khans, but one of history's greatest leaders. At the time, Mongolia's nomadic tribes relied on the land to sustain them. Their flocks of goats, sheep, horses, and other animals were dependent on abundant grass and water, and Mongols had to travel frequently to sustain them. Drought and disease could quickly wipe out their livelihoods. (She was Genghis Khan's wife—and made the Mongol Empire possible) Genghis Khan helped allay this sense of precariousness. He united Mongolia's tribes and supported China's peasant economy by stabilizing taxes and establishing rural cooperatives. He reformed his people's laws and ushered in a military-feudal form of government. He embraced trade and religious freedom, and adopted advanced technology of the time, such as stirrups, composite bows, leather armor, and gunpowder. Genghis Khan's loyal warriors were rewarded for their fealty and became the most successful army of their time. A statue of Genghis Khan in Tsonjin Boldog near Ulan Baator and Erdenet in the Tov province, Mongolia. Photograph by Joel Saget, AFP/Getty Their success rested on a complex new military structure and new military tactics, like arrow storms, amassing huge arsenals, engaging in repeated hit-and-run barrages, delayed sieges, and psychological warfare. The warriors were assisted by new technologies like the stirrup (which became status symbols) and technological and tactical innovations they adopted from the people they conquered through various military campaigns. (Did the Great Wall of China keep the Mongols at bay?) Traditional wisdom holds that the Mongols began growing their empire due to inhospitable conditions in their homeland among the steppes of central Asia. But more recent research suggests the empire had an unexpected boon: climate. Disputes among his successors eventually split the empire into four main khanates. By 1368, all four had folded, giving rise to the Ming Dynasty. What the Mongols achieved The Mongol Empire had gained a reputation for destroying its enemies, and it 'spread terror and panic as news of the cities they had razed preceded them,' writes historian Diana Lary, a professor emerita at the University of British Columbia. She notes that the Mongols sparked large migrations, not just of displaced people but also of those fleeing future attacks. Memories of these attacks loomed large in the imaginations of future generations. (Genghis Khan has roughly 16 million descendants living today) But the Mongol Empire left other legacies: the Silk Road and its history of trade; cultural development; and the potential for a modern era characterized by the unity of disparate peoples, and relative peace. In Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire also left behind the indelible impact of one of history's greatest military leaders. This story originally published on June 21, 2019. It was updated on August 13, 2025.

Mongols associates sentenced after man beaten, ute stolen

Otago Daily Times

27-06-2025

Otago Daily Times

Mongols associates sentenced after man beaten, ute stolen

By Al Williams, Open Justice reporter A man invited to the Mongols' pad for a drink was later beaten, had his ute keys taken from him and was forced to sign the vehicle over to the gang. He signed the paperwork under duress after he was told the only alternative was for him to cough up $14,000. This week, the Christchurch District Court heard the man was at Mongols associate Benjamin Moody's house in Christchurch on March 9 last year when Moody suggested they go to the motorcycle gang's clubhouse in Burnham. When the pair arrived around 5pm, former Mongols prospect Steve Graham Taylor was working the bar at the pad. Moody and the man were there until around midnight when they returned to Moody's home. There, the man told Moody he planned to sleep in his ute, to which Moody responded by punching him in the face. Moody told the man to hand over the ute keys, which, fearing he would be assaulted again, he did. Moody left the address before returning shortly after with Taylor. The man tried to leave after being punched again by Moody but Taylor and Moody followed him and told him to take a shower and go to bed. The man complied, and when he woke around 7.30am, he asked Moody for his keys. Moody told him Taylor had taken them and he wasn't getting them back. The man left the address with a friend but went back to Moody's later in the day to try again to retrieve his keys. Moody reiterated the keys would not be returned and told him he had disrespected the 'Mongol Nation'. It was not mentioned in court why Moody believed the man had disrespected the gang. However, Taylor told the man if he spoke to someone at the gang pad, there was a chance he could get his keys back. Taylor and the man travelled to the pad and the man was soon told he had two options: pay the gang $14,000 or sign over his ute. Under pressure, he signed his ute over to the Mongols and was warned not to go to the police. However, following the incident, Moody and Taylor were arrested and Taylor told police the man had willingly signed over the vehicle to pay a debt. Taylor said it was Moody who had assaulted the man. Moody, when speaking with officers, admitted he had assaulted him but said he had nothing to do with taking his ute. In court, Moody faced charges of assault and conversion of a motor vehicle in relation to the incident, and separate charges of reckless driving, failing to stop and driving contrary to an alcohol interlock licence. Taylor was charged with conversion of a motor vehicle, and also faced unrelated charges of possession of an offensive weapon and driving while disqualified. Judge Tom Gilbert described the ute ordeal as a traumatic experience for the man. 'This was a very nasty incident; there could have been a more serious charge,' he said. The court heard the man sustained black eyes, bruising to his nose, face and head, cuts to his lip and the inside of his mouth, scraped knees, bruising and scrapes to his hands, and a bump on the back of his head. Judge Gilbert said Taylor's involvement was less than Moody's and noted Taylor had since left the gang and was an engaged father. He sentenced him to 10 months' home detention while Moody was jailed for 21 months.

NZ Herald

26-06-2025

NZ Herald