$37M Meta Fraud Scheme Lands Self-Styled ‘Godfather’ Six-Year Prison Term

Adam Iza, a 26-year-old who referred to himself as “The Godfather,” has been handed a 78-month federal prison sentence for a scheme that defrauded Meta of more than $37 million, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson also requires Iza to pay $23.4 million in restitution. His case included convictions for tax evasion and for using off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies to intimidate individuals he considered rivals.

Iza entered guilty pleas in January 2025 to conspiracy against rights, wire fraud and one count of tax evasion. His 78-month term will run concurrently with a separate 15-year sentence imposed in Connecticut last month for his role in an attempted bitcoin robbery in August 2024.

Access to Meta Accounts

Prosecutors said Iza obtained Meta Business Manager accounts and their associated credit lines and then sold access to advertising firms.

The arrangement resulted in Meta charging customers for advertisements they had not purchased, after which the company refunded those customers.

The fraud also involved cryptocurrency transfers, according to the Justice Department. Iza admitted moving corporate income generated through the scheme to crypto custodians while concealing his ownership of Zort, a company connected to the operation.

Prosecutors said the scheme generated at least $36.4 million in income for Iza and caused an estimated $13.3 million loss to the IRS.

Use of Sheriff’s Deputies

Between 2021 and 2022, Iza also paid off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies to obtain sensitive law-enforcement information, personal data and search warrants.

Prosecutors said he used those resources to track and harass people with whom he had disputes. The five former deputies involved have since been convicted.

During sentencing, prosecutors warned that financial wealth does not entitle individuals to buy access to confidential databases, investigative tools, warrants, arrests, badges or firearms for private disputes, according to the DOJ statement.

The case comes alongside other recent U.S. cryptocurrency prosecutions.

Brooklyn resident Ronald Spektor was sentenced to 12 years in prison last month after posing as Coinbase customer-service representatives and deceiving about 100 victims into thinking their accounts had been compromised.

Separately, Las Vegas businessman Brent Kovar was convicted in August for operating a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that prosecutors said defrauded at least 400 investors of $24 million.