Self-styled 'Godfather' Adam Iza gets 78 months for $37 million Meta fraud
In brief
- Adam Iza, 26, received 78 months in federal prison for defrauding Meta of over $37 million.
- Judge Percy Anderson ordered $23.4 million in restitution, according to the DOJ statement.
- Prosecutors said Iza moved fraud income to crypto custodians while hiding his ownership of Zort.
- The term runs concurrently with a 15-year Connecticut sentence tied to an attempted bitcoin robbery.
How the Meta scheme worked
Prosecutors said Iza gained access to Meta Business Manager accounts and associated credit lines, then sold that access to advertising companies. The Facebook parent company billed clients for ads they didn't buy. Then it refunded them.
Prosecutors said Iza received at least $36.4 million in income from the scheme, causing an estimated $13.3 million tax loss to the IRS. According to the DOJ, he admitted moving corporate income tied to the fraud to crypto custodians while concealing his ownership of a company called Zort.
That's where crypto enters the story (and it's a supporting role, not the main event). CoinDesk said the case shows how crypto custodians can be used in broader fraud and tax-evasion schemes.
Deputies for hire
Iza pleaded guilty in January 2025 to conspiracy against rights, wire fraud and one count of tax evasion. Prosecutors also said he used off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies to intimidate people he viewed as rivals. Between 2021 and 2022, according to prosecutors, he hired off-duty deputies to obtain confidential law-enforcement information, personal data and search warrants to track and harass people he'd had disputes with.
The five now-former Los Angeles deputies involved in the scheme have since been convicted.
“Individuals with substantial financial resources must understand that they cannot purchase access to confidential databases, investigative tools, warrants, arrests, badges, or firearms for use in private disputes,” prosecutors said during sentencing, according to the DOJ statement.
Concurrent with a bitcoin robbery sentence
The 78-month term won't be served on top of his other sentence. According to the DOJ statement, it runs concurrently with a 15-year prison term Iza received last month in Connecticut for his role in an attempted bitcoin robbery in August 2024.
That Connecticut case is separate from the Meta fraud. It's the one that put bitcoin directly in the picture, while the Meta case touched crypto only through the custodians prosecutors said he used to move income.
Frequently asked questions
How did crypto custodians figure in the Adam Iza case?
According to the DOJ, Iza admitted moving corporate income tied to the Meta fraud to crypto custodians while concealing his ownership of a company called Zort. Prosecutors said he received at least $36.4 million from the scheme, causing an estimated $13.3 million tax loss to the IRS.
Does Iza's Meta fraud sentence add to his Connecticut prison term?
No. According to the DOJ statement, the 78-month sentence runs concurrently with the 15-year prison term Iza received in Connecticut the previous month for his role in an attempted bitcoin robbery in August 2024.
