One LA Sheriff’s Deputy Charged, One other Pleads Responsible in Crypto ‘Godfather’ Case – Decrypt

Federal prosecutors in California have charged one Los Angeles deputy and secured a responsible plea from one other over their roles in a civil rights conspiracy linked to a jailed crypto entrepreneur self-styled as “The Godfather.”

The scheme facilities on Adam Iza, a 24-year-old cryptocurrency businessman and founding father of Zort, a crypto buying and selling agency that prosecutors say was used to funnel illicit funds to regulation enforcement officers. Iza pleaded responsible in January to conspiracy towards rights, wire fraud, and tax evasion and has been in federal custody since September 2024.

David Anthony Rodriguez, an LASD deputy from La Verne, pleaded responsible to conspiracy towards rights for misusing his police powers on behalf of a non-public safety consumer not related to Adam Iza, the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Central District of California stated Monday.

Christopher Michael Cadman, one other regulation enforcement officer, agreed to plead responsible to separate expenses after admitting he labored straight for Iza and helped intimidate a sufferer by way of an armed confrontation and a staged site visitors cease.

The 2 “used their positions in regulation enforcement whereas performing as personal safety for his or her off-duty shoppers,” federal prosecutors stated.

Eric Chase Saavedra, an LASD deputy and former federal process pressure officer, was additionally implicated within the scheme tied to Rodriguez. He pleaded responsible in February to conspiracy towards rights and submitting a false tax return.

Saavedra, who operated a non-public safety agency, was not named in Monday’s submitting and is scheduled to be sentenced within the coming months.

The defendants allegedly staged armed confrontations to extort Iza’s rivals. In August 2021, Cadman and an unidentified LASD deputy held a sufferer at gunpoint inside Iza’s Bel Air mansion, forcing him to switch $25,000 to Iza’s checking account.

A month later, Cadman helped orchestrate a pretextual site visitors cease in Paramount to arrest the identical sufferer, regardless of no respectable regulation enforcement function.

Rodriguez admitted to acquiring a fraudulent search warrant in July 2022 by mendacity to a decide a few theft investigation. It was later revealed he was after GPS monitoring knowledge to find a sufferer for a non-public safety consumer.

After acquiring the placement knowledge, Rodriguez shared it with co-conspirators, together with Saavedra, who used the data to “harass, threaten, and intimidate” the sufferer, prosecutors stated.

Cadman obtained no less than $40,500 in money funds from Iza that he didn’t report on his 2021 tax return, owing roughly $11,000 in federal taxes, in line with the DOJ.

A deep conspiracy

The funds had been a part of a broader sample of fraud and corruption that noticed Iza distribute lots of of hundreds of {dollars} to regulation enforcement contacts, going as far as to impersonate FBI brokers. 

Prior courtroom filings revealed one fee of $154,933 despatched from Zort’s enterprise account to an LAPD officer.

The size of Iza’s felony enterprise turned clearer when his ex-girlfriend, Iris Ramaya Au, agreed to plead responsible earlier in March to failing to report $2.6 million in proceeds from his operations.

Over the course of their relationship, the 2 spent roughly $10 million on luxurious gadgets, whereas Iza acquired $16 million in crypto by way of fraudulent means, prosecutors stated on the time.

Rodriguez faces as much as 10 years in federal jail at his November 10 sentencing. Saavedra, free on $50,000 bond, awaits sentencing within the coming months.

Decrypt reached out to the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace and IRS Prison Investigation for touch upon whether or not further arrests are anticipated.