A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy has agreed to plead guilty to extorting business rivals of a crypto mogul and other crimes, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Chino resident Eric Chase Saavedra, 41, will admit to conspiracy and tax crimes connected to his work for 24-year-old Adam Iza, a Beverly Hills and Newport Coast resident who calls himself “The Godfather.”
“As far back as 2021, Iza paid Saavedra’s private security company — a business he ran on the side in addition to working as a deputy — $100,000 per month for round-the-clock bodyguards,” the Times explains, citing court filings.
Saavedra paid other deputies $750 in cash for each 12-hour shift, during which they sometimes carried guns and flashed their LASD badges, “even though it wasn’t official department work,” the Times added.
“When law enforcement officers violate their oath, they betray not only the public but also the vast majority of officers who do the job the right way,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a news release announcing the charges.. “The conduct admitted to in these plea agreements is deeply disturbing and cannot be tolerated.”
Saavedra also reportedly used his LASD credentials to “access sensitive law enforcement databases and obtain personal identifiable information about people Iza had personal or business disputes with, as well as their associates and family members.”
That information was allegedly used to allow for more criminal activity, such as when deputies held people at gunpoint or tried to break into their homes in service of Iza and his business interests.
Saavedra faces up to 13 years in prison, while Iza faces up to 35, though both have taken plea deals that could reduce their sentences.
