Former Partner Of Crypto Fraudster Pleads Guilty To Tax Charge

According to Cointelegraph, Iris Ramaya Au, the former girlfriend of admitted crypto fraudster Adam Iza, known as "The Godfather," has agreed to plead guilty to a federal criminal tax charge. Au admitted to a single count of filing a false tax return for not reporting over $2.6 million in illicit gains acquired through her then-boyfriend's criminal activities, as stated by the U.S. Justice Department on March 5. Her ex-boyfriend, Iza, had previously pled guilty in January to his involvement in various illegal schemes from 2020 to 2024. These schemes included fraudulently obtaining Facebook and Meta advertising accounts and credit, then selling access to these accounts. The Justice Department noted that Iza amassed millions of dollars in unreported income from these activities. Under Iza's direction, Au established shell corporations and opened bank accounts in their names, facilitating the movement of illicit funds. Au utilized these funds to pay approximately $1 million in bribes to Los Angeles deputies and to acquire or lease luxury real estate, vehicles, jewelry, and clothing. Additionally, Au and Iza spent the ill-gotten gains on recreational activities valued at nearly $10 million and invested around $16 million in cryptocurrency. Iza, who also founded the Zort crypto trading platform, confessed to charges of conspiracy against rights, wire fraud, and tax evasion. He admitted to bribing deputies at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for private security and soliciting them to obtain search warrants and confidential law enforcement information targeting individuals with whom he had financial and personal disputes. In her plea, Au acknowledged transferring more than $2.6 million from these accounts to her personal bank accounts between 2020 and 2023. She faces a potential sentence of up to three years in federal prison. Meanwhile, Iza faces a maximum sentence of 35 years and is scheduled for sentencing on June 16.