Ex-LASD deputy sentenced for fake search warrant scheme tracking a security client’s estranged husband

The deputy also worked as a private security guard for the Beverly Hills “crypto godfather” Adam Iza.

Federal prison time lies ahead for a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who weaponized his badge to help a wealthy private client track down her estranged husband. 

U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson sentenced David Anthony Rodriguez, 45, of La Verne, to 12 months in federal prison on Monday. Rodriguez previously pleaded guilty in July 2025 to a felony count of conspiracy against rights before leaving the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department later that year.

Court records show that while working as an active LASD deputy, Rodriguez moonlighted for cash as a private security guard. He was hired through an off-duty security firm owned by fellow deputy Eric Chase Saavedra, which catered to wealthy clients, including providing security to Beverly Hills cryptocurrency “godfather” Adam Iza and an unnamed woman embroiled in a hostile divorce.

David Anthony Rodriguez is one of five ex-LASD deputies who have pleaded guilty or been sentenced to jail time for working with Saavedra’s firm, including Saavedra, who provided private security services and engaged in illegal acts on behalf of Adam Iza. 

In July 2022, Rodriguez submitted a fraudulent search warrant application to a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. To obtain real-time GPS tracking data for the woman’s husband, Rodriguez fabricated a story claiming the man’s phone number belonged to a fleeing suspect in a Cudahy armed robbery.

After obtaining the illegal tracking pings, Rodriguez traced the husband to Utah and shared the location data with Saavedra. Co-conspirators then placed a GPS tracker on the victim’s car, had LASD deputies tow the vehicle in Los Angeles, and sent him threatening text messages.

“This was not impulsive conduct or a momentary lapse in judgment,” federal prosecutors wrote in sentencing filings. “It was a calculated abuse of authority carried out with full awareness of its significance.”

Saavedra pleaded guilty in February 2025 to conspiracy and tax charges and awaits sentencing. The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation led the probe into the ring.