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Adam Iza was sentenced in federal court in Los Angeles on October 5, 2026, to 78 months in prison and ordered to pay $23,402,766 in restitution. The term runs at the same time as a separate 15-year federal sentence imposed in Connecticut the previous month, so the two prison terms are not added together.

What did Adam Iza do?

The case involved two distinct schemes: a conspiracy involving off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and a separate fraud involving Meta advertising accounts. Iza pleaded guilty in January 2025 to conspiracy against rights, wire fraud, and tax evasion. The U.S. Department of Justice’s October 2026 sentencing announcement describes the conduct and sentence.

Conspiracy involving sheriff’s deputies

From August 2021 through April 2022, Iza hired off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies as personal security. Prosecutors said he conspired with deputies to obtain confidential law-enforcement information, personally identifiable information, and court-authorized search warrants to locate people with whom he had financial or other disputes. He also enlisted deputies to intimidate and threaten those people. DOJ says five former deputies employed by Iza have been convicted of federal crimes.

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Fraud involving Meta advertising accounts

Separately, from December 2020 to September 2024, Iza fraudulently gained access to Meta business manager accounts and associated credit lines, then sold access to advertising companies. Meta clients were billed for advertising they had not incurred. After the billing was discovered, Meta refunded clients and absorbed the loss, according to DOJ.

The Meta account scheme was a separate strand of the case from the deputy conspiracy. DOJ describes the former as wire fraud; it does not say cryptocurrency enabled the account access or billing fraud.

Why is the headline “six years” when the sentence is 78 months?

Seventy-eight months is six years and six months. “Six years” is a rounded headline description; the sentence DOJ announced is 78 months.

How does the California sentence relate to the 15-year sentence?

Iza received a separate 15-year federal sentence in Connecticut in September 2026 for his involvement in an attempted Bitcoin robbery. The 78-month California term runs concurrently with that sentence, meaning the terms overlap rather than being served one after the other. The Connecticut sentence is not part of the California sentence or its restitution order.

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What do the financial figures mean?

The figures refer to different measures and periods. They should not be treated as interchangeable totals or as amounts all owed to Meta.

Figure What it refers to
Approximately $37 million Money connected with sales of access to Meta advertising accounts that went into Iza’s companies’ bank accounts from 2020 through 2022, according to DOJ.
At least $36,360,844 Gross income from the Meta fraud scheme that Iza admitted through 2023, according to DOJ.
$13,286,152 Total loss to the IRS, as reported by DOJ.
$23,402,766 Restitution ordered in the California case. DOJ does not characterize this entire amount as restitution to Meta.

The January 2025 DOJ plea announcement described Iza’s admission to stealing more than $37 million through fraudulent access to Meta business manager accounts and associated lines of credit from 2020 to 2022. The later sentencing announcement reports the updated figures and final order.

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What did prosecutors say about buying law-enforcement access?

In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors argued: “Individuals with substantial financial resources must understand that they cannot purchase access to confidential databases, investigative tools, warrants, arrests, badges, or firearms for use in private disputes.” DOJ attributed the statement to prosecutors collectively and did not name an individual speaker.

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