Los Angeles “Crypto Godfather” Employed Sheriff Deputies as Henchmen

Adam Iza, a 25-year-old from Los Angeles, apparently hired sheriff’s deputies to harass his enemies, dubbing himself “the Crypto Godfather.” Two of his accomplices pleaded guilty to fraud today.

Apparently, tax fraud unraveled Iza’s enterprise, as the IRS discovered unreported income from at least five associates. These criminal proceeds ranged from $40,000 to upwards of $1 million.

Crypto Godfather’s Crooked Deputies

are , so many bizarre incidents are likely to happen. The first half of 2025 saw more crypto theft than any other six-month period, and major exchanges are falling for social engineering scams.

Still, today’s incident of the “LA Godfather” paying sheriff’s deputies to act as hired thugs might outdo them all in audacity.

CRYPTO FOUNDER ACCUSED OF USING LA COPS TO EXTORT VICTIMAdam Iza, the mastermind behind Zort, Inc, is in some serious heat for allegedly paying LA cops to dig up dirt on a victim in a crypto extortion scheme.We’re talking $280K a month for bogus search warrants and sensitive…

— Mario Nawfal’s Roundtable (@RoundtableSpace) September 27, 2024

According to local media, the 25-year-old Adam Iza began his criminal adventures by partnering with a hacker based in Kosovo. The two breached Meta business accounts’ security, selling them alongside their associated lines of credit.

This netted Iza at least $36 million. From there, he dubbed himself “the Godfather,” and recruited these deputies into his crimes.

Legal reporting shows that two sheriff’s deputies pleaded guilty to working for this crypto Godfather. Several of their colleagues also participated in his gang.

Iza would use both them and state resources to commit a string of crimes, which largely consisted of petty vengeances. He didn’t employ these men to make much income. preferring to brutalize his rivals.

For example, Iza directed his enforcers to subject personal enemies to unlawful traffic stops, identify their locations, and even create fake search warrants to get them arrested.

To maintain his “Godfather” image, he even commanded these deputies to hold rivals at gunpoint at a meeting in his Bel Air mansion until they paid him $25,000.

David Anthony Rodriguez and Christopher Michael Cadman, the two sheriff’s deputies who confessed to these crimes today, were caught in part because of tax violations.

This crypto Godfather paid the deputies huge sums of money, which they did not report to the IRS. It’s unclear if Iza gave them fiat or cryptoassets, but tax fraud unveiled several of these “dirty badges.”

The sheer idiocy of this entire debacle is unmistakable. Iza cast himself as a criminal mastermind, but at least five accomplices, including his ex-girlfriend, were all busted on tax evasion charges.

Meanwhile, Iza himself spent his money on a mansion, Lamborghinis, and an experimental leg-lengthening surgery.

Apparently, the surgery didn’t work, or is at least not compatible with prison life. A judge permitted Iza to visit his surgeon under federal supervision to get these experimental implants removed.

The so-called Godfather himself now faces decades in prison, and his deputies are in the same boat.

Overall, this shows how crypto crime is increasingly spilling over to the violent and physical crime domain.