Self-Styled ‘Godfather’ Gets 6½ Years for Fraud, Using Deputies Against Rivals

LOS ANGELES — A self-styled “Godfather” who used corrupt Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies to threaten and harass his adversaries was sentenced Monday to 6½ years in federal prison for civil rights violations, wire fraud and tax evasion, officials announced.

Adam Iza, 26, formerly of Beverly Hills and Newport Beach, also was ordered to pay $23,402,766 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson.

The 78-month sentence will run concurrently with a 15-year federal sentence imposed last month in Connecticut for his role in an attempted Bitcoin robbery. The sentences will be served at the same time.

Iza pleaded guilty in January 2025 to conspiracy against rights, wire fraud and tax evasion. He has been in federal custody since September 2024.

Deputies Used to Threaten and Harass Adversaries

From August 2021 through April 2022, Iza hired off-duty sheriff’s deputies as personal security guards, according to his plea agreement. He conspired with them to obtain confidential law enforcement information and personal information about people with whom he had financial or other disputes.

The deputies also improperly obtained court-authorized search warrants to help Iza track and harass his victims. Iza enlisted them to intimidate and threaten those adversaries, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors argued that wealthy clients cannot buy access to police databases, warrants, arrests or weapons to settle private disputes.

Former deputies convicted in related cases include:

• Eric Chase Saavedra, 42, of Chino: Sentenced Sept. 28 to 21 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy against rights and filing a false tax return. His security company hired deputies to work for Iza, and he improperly obtained search warrants to target Iza’s adversaries.
• Michael David Coberg, 45, of Eastvale: Sentenced March 16 to 63 months for helping Iza extort a rival and arranging a sham drug possession arrest of another adversary in Paramount in 2021.
• Scott Allen Simpkins, 34, of Brea: Sentenced July 13 to 18 months for obstructing a federal investigation into Iza’s extortion of $25,000 from a party planner at his Bel Air mansion.
• David Anthony Rodriguez, 45, of La Verne: Sentenced July 20 to one year for submitting a false search warrant application on behalf of a different client. Rodriguez also had worked as Iza’s private security guard.

Meta Advertising Fraud and Tax Evasion

In a separate scheme, Iza fraudulently obtained access to Meta Platforms Inc. business manager accounts and their credit lines from December 2020 through September 2024. He sold access to advertising companies, prosecutors said.

About $37 million from those sales flowed into his companies’ bank accounts from 2020 through 2022. Meta clients were billed for advertising they had not purchased. When the fraud was discovered, Meta refunded clients and absorbed the losses.

Iza admitted receiving at least $36.4 million in gross income from the scheme from 2020 through 2023, causing approximately $13.3 million in federal tax losses.

He failed to file corporate tax returns and concealed his ownership of his company, Zort. He also used a co-schemer to buy personal items with the proceeds and transferred corporate income to cryptocurrency custodians, according to his plea agreement.

Associate Sentenced for Concealing Income

Iris Rabaya Au, 37, of Irvine, was sentenced Sept. 21 to 18 months in federal prison for failing to report more than $2.6 million she received through Iza’s criminal activities.

Au, who pleaded guilty in March 2025 to filing a false tax return, was ordered to pay $1,484,343 in restitution and forfeit luxury vehicles, designer handbags, three “Godfather” sculptures and other assets.