The Adam Iza crypto extortion case has claimed its latest conviction: Scott Allen Simpkins, a former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputy, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice for lying to federal investigators about what he witnessed at Iza’s Bel Air home in 2021.
U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson imposed the sentence. Simpkins had pleaded guilty on 17 March to a single count of obstruction, according to the DOJ’s U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. He resigned from the LASD only after entering his felony plea, having previously been relieved of duty and placed on leave.
Simpkins was assigned to LASD’s Lakewood Station and also served on the department’s SWAT team. He worked approximately six to eight shifts as a private security guard for Saavedra & Associates, a firm owned by then-LASD Deputy Eric Chase Saavedra, who was assigned to the Operation Safe Streets Bureau and served as a federal task force officer with the United States Marshals Service.
What Happened at the Bel Air House
Prosecutors say that during the 2021 incident, Iza placed four or five live 9mm rounds on his desk, spun one of the bullets while threatening the victim, and demanded a $25,000 transfer. Simpkins and fellow former deputy Christopher Michael Cadman, also working security that day, then escorted the victim off the property.
Each deputy received $1,400 in cash for the shift. After Saavedra & Associates secured a longer-term security contract with Iza, both men received roughly 10% of the company’s profits from the contract’s first month.
Saavedra himself faces separate federal charges. According to a separate DOJ press release, he was charged with conspiracy against rights and subscribing to a false tax return, and faces up to 13 years in federal prison. The Daily News reports that federal authorities have now secured guilty pleas or agreements to plead guilty from three former deputies, Iza, and his girlfriend.
Adam Iza Crypto Extortion Charges and What Still Awaits Him
Iza, 24, who operates under aliases including ‘The Godfather,’ ‘Ahmed Faiq,’ ‘Diego,’ and ‘Tony Brambilla’ according to his plea agreement filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (case CR 24-630(A)-PA), has been in federal custody since September 2024. He pleaded guilty in California in January 2025 to conspiracy against rights, wire fraud, and tax evasion, and faces up to 35 years on those charges. His sentencing in that case is scheduled for 15 December.
The Los Angeles Times previously reported that court records accuse Iza of hiding millions from tax authorities by funnelling money through shell companies, with some of that money allegedly directed toward approximately $64,000 for a surgery to extend the length of his legs.
In a separate federal prosecution in Connecticut, Iza also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, a charge carrying a maximum of 20 years. That case centres on a 2024 kidnapping plot targeting the parents of Veer Chetal, a man accused of participating in the theft of approximately 4,100 bitcoin.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the federal probe into Iza’s network drew in multiple LASD personnel over an extended period. Iza’s brother, Saif Faiq, pleaded guilty on 9 June, admitting to recruiting six men from Florida, arranging travel to Connecticut, and coordinating surveillance before the group forced Sushil and Radhika Chetal from their vehicle in Danbury, assaulted them, and briefly held them captive. The six alleged attackers have separately pleaded guilty to kidnapping and carjacking charges. Veer Chetal pleaded guilty in November 2025 to charges related to the bitcoin theft and awaits sentencing.
On the civil side, the Daily News reports that one victim, referred to as Chapell, has filed a civil suit seeking more than $50 million in damages from Los Angeles County and Iza.
With Iza’s California sentencing set for 15 December and the Connecticut case still pending, the full exposure across both jurisdictions sits at up to 55 years before any judicial determination of concurrent or consecutive terms.
