Former Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for shielding a crypto “godfather” ransomware case

DeepChain TechFlow message: On July 14, according to an announcement from the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Scott Allen Simpkins (34), a former deputy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), was sentenced by a federal court on July 13 to 18 months in prison and fined $10,000 for obstructing a judicial investigation.

Simpkins had been employed by a private security company owned by a businessman who calls himself the crypto “godfather,” Adam Iza. In August 2021, he personally witnessed Iza, at Iza’s Bel-Air mansion, threaten the party planner R.C. with a bullet and force him to transfer $25,000. During a federal investigation in November 2024, Simpkins repeatedly lied to the FBI and federal prosecutors, claiming that he had not witnessed ammunition or financial transactions, thereby interfering with the criminal investigation into Iza.

Iza has entered a guilty plea to multiple federal charges, including conspiracy to commit offenses, wire fraud, tax evasion, and alleged kidnapping-robbery involving Bitcoin, and is awaiting sentencing. The case is jointly investigated by the FBI and the Criminal Investigation Division of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.