Adam Iza, founder of crypto trading platform Zort, bribed police to carry out cryptocurrency extortion against his former business partner

Adam Iza, also known as "The Godfather," stands accused of using law enforcement officials to unlawfully access sensitive information and intimidate a former business associate. Federal prosecutors have charged the founder of Zort, Inc., a crypto trading platform, with bribing Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputies to obtain confidential data as part of an alleged extortion scheme.

According to an FBI affidavit filed in a Los Angeles federal court, Iza allegedly paid three LASD deputies as much as $280,000 per month. The deputies are accused of filing false search warrants and retrieving police information that Iza used to coerce an individual identified as E.Z. into relinquishing a laptop containing cryptocurrency.

A message obtained by the FBI claims to show Iza admitting to paying police $280,000 a month. Source: CourtListener

Extortion and Intimidation Campaign

The situation dates back to November 2021, when E.Z. reported an attempted kidnapping to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. E.Z. claims that while driving Iza to a restaurant, an SUV pulled up with two men, one of whom brandished a handgun and ordered E.Z. to get in the car. E.Z. managed to escape and contact authorities.

Iza, however, disputed this version of events. He told police that E.Z. had agreed to give him $300,000 in exchange for cryptocurrency but later panicked, thinking he was being kidnapped. The armed men were former LASD deputies working for Iza’s security company, responding to what Iza claimed was a call for protection.

The FBI complaint indicates that this was just one incident in a wider “campaign of intimidation and harassment.” E.Z. reported receiving threatening messages, some containing personal information accessed through police databases. One such message included a photo of an LASD business card and images of E.Z.’s family and vehicle.

A message obtained by the FBI allegedly shows Iza calling law enforcement officers “pawns.” Source: CourtListener

Misuse of Law Enforcement

The complaint further alleges that Iza paid the deputies to obtain search warrants unlawfully, including one that added E.Z.’s phone number to a case unrelated to him. Iza reportedly shared photos of these warrants and other confidential information with a private investigator he had hired. This investigator, known only as K.C., confirmed that Iza sent sensitive law enforcement data, including a GPS search warrant targeting E.Z.'s phone number.

In addition to extortion, Iza and E.Z. were accused of breaking into a third party’s home, where Iza allegedly impersonated an FBI agent, stole a laptop containing cryptocurrency, and held the individual at gunpoint to extract the password.

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Adam Iza faces multiple charges

Iza has been charged with conspiracy against rights, alongside accusations of tax evasion. Prosecutors claim he concealed millions of dollars in revenue between 2020 and 2022, failing to report any income for tax purposes during that period.

At this stage, neither Iza’s legal representatives nor the LASD have provided comments on the case.