Crypto ‘Godfather’s’ ex faces prison after hiding $2.6m from IRS
An Orange County woman who previously dated a cryptocurrency fraud defendant known as “The Godfather” is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday for failing to report more than $2.6 million obtained through her former partner's criminal operation.
Iris Ramaya Au, 36, of Irvine, entered a guilty plea in a Los Angeles federal court in March 2025 for filing a false tax return.
Her plea agreement indicates that from 2020 through 2024, her ex-boyfriend Adam Iza engaged in a series of crimes.
These included fraudulently securing access to lines of credit and advertising accounts provided by Facebook Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc., and subsequently selling access to those accounts. Iza generated millions of dollars in unreported income through the scheme.
Iza, 26, previously of Beverly Hills and Newport Beach, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to federal charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and tax evasion.
He is expected to be sentenced in downtown Los Angeles next month and is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence for his role in an August 2024 attempted Bitcoin robbery and kidnapping in Connecticut.
Following Iza's instructions, Au established shell corporations and opened bank accounts for those entities. Court documents show she then used illicit funds from those accounts to pay roughly $1 million to now-former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies whom Iza had corrupted.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the funds were also spent on acquiring or leasing luxury real estate, automobiles, jewelry, and clothing, along with nearly $10 million in recreational activities for herself and Iza. Another $16 million was used to purchase cryptocurrency for Iza.
Au acknowledged in her plea deal that she moved more than $2.6 million from the entity accounts into her personal bank accounts between 2020 and 2023, failing to declare the income on her federal tax returns.
Federal prosecutors said she faces up to three years in federal prison at her hearing.
