A crooked former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who abused his badge to help a shady crypto operator intimidate rivals has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison, prosecutors said.
Michael David Coberg, 44, was handed 63 months behind bars after admitting he helped carry out an extortion scheme and conspired to violate a victim’s civil rights while working with a self-styled crypto mogul known as the “Godfather,” according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Coberg — a former LASD deputy and helicopter pilot — used his-law-enforcement authority to assist Adam Iza, a 25-year-old crypto entrepreneur who ran fraudulent marketing and cryptocurrency ventures, feds said.
Iza, who prosecutors say orchestrated a web of intimidation and fraud, has been in federal custody since September 2024 after pleading guilty to charges tied to the scheme. He is awaiting sentencing.
According to court documents, Coberg used his badge to help Iza target and terrorize people the crypto figure saw as enemies.
In one brazen episode in 2021, Coberg helped arrange a sham drug arrest in Paramount designed to harass and intimidate one of Iza’s rivals, prosecutors said. Coberg reportedly roped in two other corrupt LASD deputies to get the job done.
“Coberg swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “Instead, [he] betrayed that oath and those he swore to protect, abusing the awesome power of his badge. And he did so for an all-too-common reason: greed.”
The disgraced deputy admitted he conspired to extort the victim and deprive them of their civil rights while secretly working with Iza’s operation.
A federal judge also ordered Coberg to pay $127,000 in restitution to the victims of the scheme.
Coberg pleaded guilty in September 2025 and was sentenced this week in federal court. Authorities said the case highlights the dangers of law-enforcement officers abusing their power.