Ex-LASD deputy sentenced to 63 months for extortion, sham arrest plot

A former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy and helicopter pilot was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for helping a self-styled cryptocurrency businessman extort a rival and arrange the sham drug-possession arrest of another adversary in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Michael David Coberg, 44, of Eastvale, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson, who also ordered him to pay $127,000 in restitution, prosecutors said. Coberg pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion and one count of conspiracy against rights.

Coberg, while still employed by LASD, worked on the side with Adam Iza, 25, a self-proclaimed “Godfather” involved in fraudulent marketing and cryptocurrency schemes, according to federal prosecutors. Their arrangement went beyond routine security work: Coberg served as a business partner and adviser, and the two at one point discussed starting a business selling anabolic steroids, prosecutors said. Iza paid Coberg at least $20,000 per month for his services, according to court documents.

Iza has been in federal custody since September 2024, has pleaded guilty to federal charges, and is expected to be sentenced in the coming months, the Justice Department said.

Prosecutors said Coberg’s conduct was driven by greed. “Coberg swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States,” they wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “Instead, [he] betrayed that oath and those he swore to protect, abusing the awesome power of his badge.”

The extortion scheme unfolded in October 2021, when Coberg accompanied security guards to pick up a man identified in court documents as “L.A.,” whose business partner was in a financial dispute with Iza, according to prosecutors. After being taken to Iza’s residence, the victim was interrogated by Coberg, who identified himself as an active-duty law enforcement officer, authorities said.

During the encounter, Iza displayed firearms and recorded the victim transferring $127,000 to an account Iza controlled, according to court filings. Iza’s guards then confiscated the victim’s passport, prosecutors said.

The following day, Coberg continued questioning the victim about the dispute and the whereabouts of the victim’s business partner, according to prosecutors. Later, after Coberg left Iza alone with the victim, Iza held the victim at gunpoint and demanded that the victim’s business partner send money, which the partner later did, authorities said.

In a separate scheme in September 2021, Coberg conspired with Iza and others to lure another rival, identified as “R.C.,” from Miami to Los Angeles under the pretense of a romantic reunion with his ex-girlfriend, according to court documents. The victim was picked up at Los Angeles International Airport, driven to obtain drugs, and taken to Paramount, where a traffic stop was carried out after Coberg falsely told another deputy that a confidential informant had identified the vehicle and occupant as being involved in criminal activity, prosecutors said.

During the stop, deputies found cocaine in the car and psilocybin mushrooms in the victim’s backpack, leading to his arrest, according to authorities. Christopher Michael Cadman, 34, of Fullerton, a corrupt LASD deputy, helped set up the false arrest and separately pleaded guilty in August 2025, prosecutors said. He is expected to be sentenced in the coming months.

Coberg later drove past the arrest scene in an SUV while Iza watched from the back seat and recorded the incident, according to court documents. Iza subsequently taunted the victim by sending images of the arrest and the victim’s booking photo, prosecutors said.