Shocking Revelations: LA Deputies Caught in Crypto Kingpin's Web of Corruption

"The Godfather" of Crypto Unleashes Law Enforcement Chaos

Holy smokes! Two LA deputies are in hot water, caught up in a twisted civil rights conspiracy with a jailed crypto mogul dubbed "The Godfather." This guy, using off-duty cops as his personal hit squad, targeted his rivals without mercy.

Buckle up, folks! On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice dropped the hammer, announcing that LASD deputy David Anthony Rodriguez, 43, from La Verne, copped a plea to conspiracy against rights. That's right, he's in deep!

And wait, there's more! Another badge-wearing bulldog, Christopher Michael Cadman, 33, from Fullerton, got slammed with charges of conspiracy against rights and filing a false tax return. Talk about a double whammy!

Get this: federal prosecutors claim these two deputies twisted their law enforcement badges into private security shields, working for none other than 24-year-old Adam Iza, the self-proclaimed crypto king known as "The Godfather." This dude ran Zort, a shady trading firm accused of laundering dirty money like it's going out of style.

Hold onto your hats, because Iza's rap sheet reads like a blockbuster crime saga. He's been linked to laundering millions through fake tech ventures and swiping over $37 million by hacking into Facebook ad accounts. And get this, he and his ex-partner, Iris Ramaya Au, splurged over $10 million on luxury items and stiffed the IRS on millions in income. Can you believe it?

Iza's been locked up since September 2024 and threw in the towel in January, pleading guilty to conspiracy against rights, wire fraud, and tax evasion. The walls are closing in!

Court docs spill the beans that in August 2021, Cadman and another LASD deputy pulled a victim into Iza's Bel Air mansion at gunpoint. They forced the poor sap to transfer $25,000 to Iza's account. Talk about a high-stakes heist!

But it doesn't stop there. The next month, Cadman staged a bogus traffic stop in Paramount, targeting the same poor soul without a shred of legal justification. It's like a real-life crime thriller!

Cadman later fessed up to pocketing at least $40,500 in cold, hard cash from Iza, which he conveniently forgot to report on his 2021 tax return. Prosecutors say he owes around $11,000 in back taxes and could face up to 13 years in the big house.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez, who used to work with Cadman for Iza, admitted to flexing his authority for another private security client, totally unrelated to Iza. Talk about a tangled web!

Get this: in July 2022, Rodriguez faked a robbery investigation to score a court-authorized search warrant. He also snagged some GPS data, which he dished out to his co-conspirators, including former deputy Eric Chase Saavedra, to hunt down and intimidate the victim. It's like something out of a spy movie!

Saavedra, 42, from Chino, threw in the towel in February, pleading guilty to conspiracy against rights and filing a false tax return. He's accused of working for Iza through a private security outfit, accessing confidential databases, and getting fake warrants to go after Iza's enemies. It's a wild ride!

Rodriguez is set to face the music on November 10 and could be looking at up to 10 years behind bars. Cadman's due for his first court appearance soon, and Saavedra, out on a $50,000 bond, is waiting for his sentencing in the coming months. The crypto kingpin's reign of terror is unraveling right before our eyes!