A former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy was sentenced to more than five years in prison for assisting Adam Iza, a jailed crypto founder nicknamed “The Godfather,” in extorting victims.
A California federal court sentenced Michael Coberg to 63 months in prison and ordered him to pay $127,000 in restitution, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles said. Coberg pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to commit extortion and conspiracy against rights.
Prosecutors said Coberg was paid at least $20,000 a month by Iza, the founder of the crypto trading platform Zort. Iza pleaded guilty in January 2025 to extorting multiple people and is awaiting sentencing.
Prosecutors detailed several incidents involving Coberg. In October 2021, Coberg joined a team that picked up a man identified as “L.A.,” who was in a financial dispute with Iza. Coberg brought L.A. to Iza’s house while Iza recorded a video of L.A. transferring $127,000 to Iza’s bank account, with Coberg standing watch. Prosecutors said they later took Iza and L.A. to a shooting range, where Iza held L.A. at gunpoint and demanded payment.
Coberg also conspired with Iza and others to arrange a drug-possession arrest of another victim, identified as “R.C.” According to court filings, R.C. had previously been held at gunpoint by Iza, Christopher Cadman — a former Sheriff’s Department deputy who pleaded guilty in August to helping Iza — and another deputy, and had been forced to transfer $25,000 to Iza.
Prosecutors say Coberg and associates staged a sham sting in which R.C.’s ex-girlfriend lured him to Los Angeles to use drugs. R.C. was picked up at the airport, driven to obtain drugs, then stopped and arrested by a Sheriff’s Department deputy whom Coberg had tipped off.
In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said Coberg abused “the awesome power of his badge” and acted out of greed.
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