A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for using his law enforcement position to help crypto figure Adam Iza target rivals and for concealing income from tax authorities.

Eric Chase Saavedra, 42, of Chino, admitted that he obtained warrants under false pretenses and accessed sensitive police databases as part of the scheme. He also acknowledged failing to report about $373,146 he received from Iza, according to court records cited in the case.

Security work tied deputy to Iza

Saavedra previously served in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department anti-gang unit and also worked as a federal task-force officer with the U.S. Marshals Service. Alongside those roles, he founded Saavedra & Associates LLC, a private security company staffed with active LASD deputies and other law enforcement personnel.

Prosecutors said Adam Iza became the firm’s main client. Court documents described Iza as a self-styled cryptocurrency businessman who lived between Beverly Hills and Newport Beach and paid about $100,000 a month for around-the-clock protection, first from August 2021 through March 2022 and again from July 2024 until his arrest in September 2024.

Saavedra’s plea agreement reportedly said he recruited roughly 20 to 25 deputies for the assignment, with each officer paid about $750 per shift.

Use of badge and databases

Federal prosecutors said Saavedra used his official credentials to obtain personal information from sensitive law enforcement databases on people Iza was feuding with, as well as some of their relatives and associates.

In one incident, Iza allegedly believed a victim had a laptop containing more than $100 million in cryptocurrency. In January 2022, Saavedra sought a search warrant and falsely told a Los Angeles Superior Court judge that the victim’s phone number was linked to a firearms suspect, prosecutors said.

After the warrant produced a location, Saavedra passed the address to Iza, according to the case. Prosecutors said that in March 2022, Iza then sent three armed men to break into the home and try to seize the laptop.

Guilty plea and sentence

Saavedra pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of conspiracy against rights. He also admitted that he kept about $373,146 from Iza without reporting it to the IRS.

As part of the plea deal, he agreed to forfeit 32 Louis Vuitton bags, 27 pairs of Gucci shoes, five Louis Vuitton wallets and a money-counting machine. The court also ordered him to pay $90,984 in restitution to the IRS.

The judge said Saavedra’s sentence was reduced because of his “prompt and extensive cooperation.” He is the last of five former deputies to be sentenced in the case.

Where the wider case stands

The other former deputies received prison terms ranging from 12 months to 63 months. Michael David Coberg was sentenced to 63 months, Scott Allen Simpkins to 18 months, Christopher Michael Cadman to 21 months and David Anthony Rodriguez to 12 months.

Iza, 26, has been in federal custody since September 2024. He pleaded guilty in January 2025 to conspiracy against rights, wire fraud and tax evasion.

He is already serving a 15-year sentence tied to an attempted Bitcoin robbery and a kidnapping near Danbury, Connecticut, in August 2024. His California sentencing before Judge Anderson is scheduled for October 5.

Source: Cryptopolitan