A former sheriff’s deputy in Los Angeles County who was involved in an extortion plot that at one point involved the sham arrest of a rival in a cryptocurrency scheme was sentenced to more than five years in prison this week, federal officials said.
The man, Michael David Coberg, 44, of Eastvale, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion and another conspiracy-related charge last September, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a news release.
Mr. Coberg, who was also a helicopter pilot with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, faces 63 months in federal prison, according to the sentence delivered on Monday by Judge Percy Anderson of the Central District of California. He was also ordered to pay $127,000 in restitution.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Mr. Coberg, while an employee of the sheriff’s department, worked a side gig providing security to Adam Iza, a man who the authorities said engaged in fraud marketing and cryptocurrency schemes and proclaimed himself a “Godfather.” Mr. Coberg’s contract allowed him to work as a business partner and adviser, as opposed to simply working security shifts.