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Former LASD deputy gets 18 months for lying in Adam Iza crypto case

Former LASD deputy gets 18 months for lying in Adam Iza crypto case

Scott Allen Simpkins was fined $10,000 after admitting he lied to the FBI about a $25,000 extortion inside Adam Iza’s Bel Air mansion, as separate federal cases against Iza continue to advance.

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Fact Check
The DOJ Central District of California press release dated July 13, 2026 directly confirms that Scott Allen Simpkins, a former LASD deputy, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for obstructing a federal investigation into Adam Iza by lying to FBI agents. A separate DOJ release confirms Iza admitted to a fraud scheme involving more than $37 million and that off-duty/former LASD deputies were used in his criminal operations, including extortion threats. KTLA independently corroborates the sentence and the extortion context. Every element of the claim is supported by primary government sources.
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Summary

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Scott Allen Simpkins was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in an investigation tied to cryptocurrency businessman Adam Iza. Simpkins admitted on March 17 that he lied to federal investigators about a 2021 incident at Iza’s Bel Air home in which prosecutors said Iza displayed live 9mm rounds and demanded a $25,000 transfer before Simpkins and fellow former deputy Christopher Michael Cadman escorted the victim away. Court records cited by prosecutors said both men were working private security through Saavedra & Associates, a company owned by then-LASD Deputy Eric Chase Saavedra, and each received $1,400 for that weekend’s work before later collecting about 10% of the first month’s profits from Iza’s longer-term security contract. The sentencing adds to a wider federal probe around Iza, who has remained in custody since September 2024 after pleading guilty in California in January 2025 to conspiracy against rights, wire fraud and tax evasion. In a separate Connecticut case, Iza also pleaded guilty on June 1, 2026 to a Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy tied to the August 2024 abduction of a couple near Danbury in a plot to seize stolen Bitcoin.

Terms & Concepts
  • obstruction of justice: A criminal offense involving interference with an investigation or legal process.
  • wire fraud: A crime involving the use of electronic communications to carry out a fraudulent scheme.
  • Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy: A U.S. federal charge alleging an agreement to commit robbery that affects interstate commerce.