A situation involving two Los Angeles County law enforcement officers has revealed instances where their official authority was abused while they were engaged in private, paid work for individuals connected to a cryptocurrency businessman, currently incarcerated, and known by the moniker “The Godfather”.
Based on a public statement released on July 14 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the probe is centered around Adam Iza, a 24-year-old individual who managed Zort, a business involved in cryptocurrency trading.
Prosecutors allege that Iza utilized his company’s funds to compensate the officers for actions designed to intimidate his competitors. He entered a guilty plea in January, admitting to conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion, and has been in detention since September of the previous year.
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Officer Christopher Michael Cadman has confessed that he directly served Iza’s interests and was involved in a couple of events aimed at one of Iza’s business rivals.
Back in August of 2021, Cadman, together with another officer who remains unidentified, accosted the victim inside Iza’s residence in Bel Air while brandishing a firearm. They then coerced the victim into transferring $25,000 into Iza’s bank account. The subsequent month, Cadman orchestrated a false traffic stop in Paramount, which resulted in the victim’s unlawful detention.
The prosecution team claims that Cadman received a minimum of $40,500 from Iza in cash payments, an amount he neglected to declare on his tax return for 2021. This omission resulted in approximately $11,000 in unpaid tax obligations.
Officer David Anthony Rodriguez, hailing from La Verne, has acknowledged that he participated in a scheme to infringe upon civil liberties while working in a private capacity for a client unrelated to Iza.
According to official court documents, he provided false information to a judge in July of 2022 to obtain a search warrant. He subsequently utilized this warrant to gather GPS data, which he then shared with accomplices. They, in turn, employed this information to threaten and pressure the victim.
In recent news, two individuals from the UK were handed down prison sentences totaling 12 years for conducting a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme. Want to know the details? See the complete report here.
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