Iris Ramaya Au, a 35-year-old Irvine resident and former girlfriend of a self-proclaimed cryptocurrency fraudster known as “The Godfather,” has agreed to plead guilty to a federal tax charge for failing to report more than $2.6 million in illicit income tied to her ex-boyfriend’s criminal activities.
Au faces a single felony count of subscribing to a false tax return and is expected to appear in the United States District Court in Los Angeles in the coming days.
Fraud Investigation
According to the Department of Justice’s announcement , her plea agreement revealed that her then-boyfriend, identified as Iza, orchestrated various fraudulent schemes from 2020 to 2024 which included unlawfully obtaining access to advertising accounts and credit lines from Facebook Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. He profited significantly from selling access to these accounts and ended up accumulating millions in unreported earnings.
Additionally, Iza engaged Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies to provide private security and directed them to secure search warrants and access confidential law enforcement information to target individuals with whom he had financial and personal disputes.
Under Iza’s direction, Au established shell corporations and opened bank accounts in their names, which were then used to conceal illicit funds. These funds were used to pay approximately $1 million to the deputies, primarily in cash, and to finance a lavish lifestyle that included luxury real estate, high-end vehicles, jewelry, designer clothing, and recreational activities amounting to nearly $10 million.
Au Faces 3 Years, Iza Faces 35
Au is alleged to have facilitated the acquisition of approximately $16 million in cryptocurrency for Iza. In her plea agreement, Au admitted to transferring over $2.6 million from these accounts into her personal bank accounts between 2020 and 2023.
However, she knowingly failed to report this income to the IRS on her federal tax returns.
If convicted, Au faces a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison. Her former partner, Iza, pleaded guilty to conspiracy against rights, wire fraud, and tax evasion on January 30. He is set for sentencing on June 16, where he faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in federal prison. Iza has remained in federal custody since September 2024.
