LA Sheriff’s Deputies Used Badges to Help Crypto ‘Godfather’ Extort Victims

Two Los Angeles (LA) County Sheriff’s Department deputies have admitted to using their law enforcement powers to help a crypto entrepreneur dubbed “The Godfather” extort victims through armed confrontations and fraudulent search warrants.

According to the report from the DOJ, David Anthony Rodriguez, 43, pleaded guilty to conspiracy against rights, while Christopher Michael Cadman, 33, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges and filing false tax returns.

Both deputies worked as private security for Adam Iza, a 24-year-old crypto businessman who has been in federal custody since September 2024.

One Among Many Criminal Extortion Operations

Cadman and an unidentified deputy held a victim at gunpoint inside Iza’s Bel Air mansion in August 2021, forcing him to transfer $25,000 to Iza’s bank account immediately afterward.

The same victim was later arrested in a staged traffic stop orchestrated by Cadman and other officers in September 2021.

Rodriguez obtained a fraudulent search warrant in July 2022 by lying to a judge about investigating a robbery, when he actually sought GPS tracking data to locate a victim for a private security client.

He shared the location coordinates with co-conspirators who used the information to harass and intimidate the target.

The corruption case centers on Iza’s cryptocurrency trading platform Zort, which prosecutors say was used to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit payments to law enforcement officers.

Iza pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy against rights, wire fraud, and tax evasion, facing up to 35 years in prison at his December 15 sentencing.

Armed Extortion and Staged Arrests

Iza’s criminal enterprise operated through a network of corrupt deputies who received substantial cash payments for their services.

Cadman admitted to receiving at least $40,500 in unreported income from Iza, owing approximately $11,000 in federal taxes for 2021.

Eric Chase Saavedra, an LASD deputy and former federal task force officer who operated a private security company, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy against rights and filing false tax returns.

Saavedra collaborated with Rodriguez to harass victims using information obtained through the fraudulent search warrant.

Court filings revealed Iza paid as much as $280,000 monthly to deputies he called his “pawns.”

In one incident, Iza used police database information to coerce a victim into surrendering a laptop containing cryptocurrency, sending intimidating messages with the victim’s personal information alongside photos of his family and car.

Prior court documents showed a single payment of $154,933 from Zort’s business account to an LAPD officer.

Iza’s ex-girlfriend, Iris Ramaya Au, pleaded guilty in March to failing to report $2.6 million in proceeds from his criminal operations.

Au created shell corporations and opened bank accounts at Iza’s direction, using illicit funds to pay approximately $1 million to LASD deputies.

The couple spent around $10 million on luxury items, while Iza acquired $16 million in crypto through fraudulent means.

Federal Crackdown Targets Growing Crypto Crime Networks

The LASD corruption case is just a part of a broader federal crackdown on crypto-related crimes that have netted hundreds of millions in illicit proceeds.

In May 2025, prosecutors charged 12 individuals, mostly aged 18 to 21, for a racketeering conspiracy that netted $263 million in stolen cryptocurrency.

The defendants in that case laundered stolen digital assets through cryptocurrency mixers and used proceeds to purchase nightclub services costing up to $500,000 per evening, luxury watches valued between $100,000 and $500,000, and a fleet of 28 exotic cars worth up to $3.8 million each.

More recently, Dwayne Golden of Pennsylvania received over eight years in federal prison for his role in a $40 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme operating fraudulent platforms including EmpowerCoin, ECoinPlus, and Jet-Coin between April and August 2017.

For these latest arrests, Rodriguez faces up to 10 years in federal prison at his November 10 sentencing hearing.

Cadman could receive up to 13 years when he appears in federal court in the coming days.

Saavedra, free on $50,000 bond, awaits sentencing in the coming months after pleading guilty to related charges.

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