Adam Iza, 26, has been sentenced to six years in prison for a multi-million dollar fraud scheme that involved paying L.A. County sheriff’s deputies to harass and extort his personal enemies.
The courtroom gallery fell quiet as Adam Iza stood before the bench. the “godfather” persona that once defined his illicit empire reduced to a federal prisoner in a jumpsuit. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson sentenced the 26-year-old cryptocurrency businessman to more than six years in prison for a sprawling scheme that turned sworn law enforcement officers into instruments of his personal vendettas.
The sentence will run concurrent to the 15-year term Iza is currently serving for an August 2024 kidnapping and attempted Bitcoin robbery in Connecticut. effectively ensuring no additional time for these specific crimes. As the judge delivered his decision. a family member wept in the gallery while Iza addressed the court. claiming he took “full responsibility” for his actions. “I just want to make it very clear that I’m not here to skirt the law or make excuses. ” Iza said. “I understand what I’ve done and I apologize for it.”.
Iza. formerly of Beverly Hills and Newport Beach. admitted to generating tens of millions through fraud and evading taxes while systematically corrupting the very people sworn to protect the public. Between August 2021 and April 2022. he paid off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies roughly $100. 000 a month to act as his private security and enforcers. Those deputies. at least five of whom have since been sentenced to prison. used their badge-derived access to track. harass. and extort those who stood in Iza’s way.
Evidence of this corruption remains stark. In August 2021. Iza directed deputies to unholster their firearms at a victim identified as R.C. forcing the man to transfer $25. 000 into a Zort bank account. The intimidation escalated when Iza concocted a plot to plant drugs in R.C.’s vehicle; the following month. a deputy misled a narcotics detective to trigger a drug raid on the victim’s home. In another instance, Iza held a man identified as L.A. at gunpoint in his own home, ordering deputies to keep the victim restrained until he transferred $127,000 to Iza’s account.
Beyond the physical intimidation, Iza weaponized the legal system. He directed deputies to obtain confidential information on his targets. frequently lying to secure court-authorized search warrants under the guise of firearms investigations. In his hunt for a laptop he believed held massive amounts of cryptocurrency. Iza orchestrated a campaign of violence against a victim identified as E.Z. After a bodyguard brandished a weapon at E.Z. and the man fled to call 911. Iza eventually directed an assault on another target. D.D. before three armed individuals broke into E.Z.’s home to seize the device by force.
“He cultivated relationships with sworn law enforcement officers and used those relationships to further his personal and financial interests. ” Judge Anderson said. While the judge acknowledged the chaos Iza caused. he also took into account the defendant’s history of childhood displacement from Iraq. poverty. neglect. and physical abuse. In addition to his prison term. Iza was ordered to pay $23 million in restitution to the IRS. plus $127. 000 to one victim and $25. 000 to another. A December hearing will determine further restitution for additional victims.
Iza’s attorney, Josef Sadat, called the judge a “godsend” following the hearing. As part of his plea. Iza surrendered a cache of wealth accumulated through his fraud. including two Mercedes-Benz vehicles. a Ferrari. luxury handbags from Hermes. Balenciaga. and Louis Vuitton. and his signature Jacob & Co. “Godfather” watch and sculptures. What began as a rise from childhood poverty in Iraq—where Iza once borrowed a computer from his uncle—has ended in the total dismantling of his once-lucrative cryptocurrency platform. Zort.
Adam Iza crypto fraud Los Angeles County Sheriff extortion sentencing Zort