Crypto scam plea deal; alleged human smuggling; jobless benefits fraud
Over the past week, updates were given regarding an alleged cryptocurrency fraud artist and his girlfriend, an alleged Guatemalan national linked to human smuggling and five individuals reportedly linked to COVID-19 jobless benefits fraud.
Iris Ramaya Au, 35, of Irvine, whose the former girlfriend of cryptocurrency user Adam Iza, dubbed “The Godfather,” has pleaded guilty to a federal criminal tax charge — resulting from failure to report more than $2.6 million she obtained via her boyfriend’s reported criminal activities.
She was charged with a single-count information for subscribing to a false tax return, and reported to U.S. District Court in DTLA.
According to her plea agreement, from 2020 to 2024, Iza was alleged to have obtained access to advertising accounts and lines of credit provided by Facebook Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. and sold account access. Iza’s alleged with obtaining millions of dollars of unreported income from this.
Iza is also alleged to have engaged with active Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies who granted private security for him. This arrangement led the deputies toward obtaining court-authorized search warrants used to target individuals Iza had financial and personal disputes with.
Under Iza’s reported direction, Au created shell corporations; opened company bank accounts; used illicit funds to pay approximately $1 million to deputies; purchased or leased luxury real estate, cars, jewelry and clothing; paid almost $10 million for recreational activity for Iza and herself and acquired approximately $16 million in cryptocurrency for Iza.
Au admitted in her plea agreement to have transferred over $2.6 million from different accounts to her personal bank accounts between 2020 and 2023. This is income Au did not report to the IRS on her federal tax returns. After pleading guilty, Au could face up to three years in federal prison.
On Jan. 30, Iza appeared before a federal judge and pleaded guilty to a first superseding piece of information. This led to the charges against him, like conspiracy against rights, wire fraud and tax evasion. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 16 and he faces up to 35 years in federal prison. Iza has been in federal custody since September.
Alongside IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI overseeing this matter, the prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel J. O’Brien and J. Jamari Buxton of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section and Assistant United States Attorney Maxwell K. Coll of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section.
Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, 51, dubbed “Turko,” of the Westlake neighborhood near Downtown Los Angeles, is an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who was arrested on a four-count indictment alleging him with smuggling about 20,000 illegal immigrants from Guatemala to destinations nationwide from 2019 to July 2024.
According to reports, some people were stored in stash houses and seven of these illegal immigrants — including a 4-year-old child — were killed in a November 2023 car accident in Oklahoma. Renoj-Matul was arrested along with his alleged cohort Cristobal Mejia-Chaj, 49, who was also of the Westlake neighborhood. The two defendants were arraigned and ordered to stand trial on April 22. A federal magistrate judge assigned both people jail time without bond.
Also charged in the indictment is the smuggling ring lieutenant Helmer Obispo-Hernandez, 41, dubbed “Xavi,” and Jose Paxtor-Oxlaj, 44, a driver incarcerated in Oklahoma for his connection to the fatal car accident. All defendants are Guatemalan nationals and are charged with one count of conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States, transporting aliens in the United States and harboring aliens in the United States for private financial gain and resulting in death.
Renoj-Matul and Mejia-Chaj are also charged with two counts of hostage taking. Obispo-Hernandez and Paxtor-Oxlaj also have charges for one count of transporting aliens in the United States for private financial gain and resulting in death.
In addition to this, there’s a federal criminal complaint that charges Obispo-Hernandez with threatening to cut off the heads of a Homeland Security Investigations Task Force Officer and members of his family. The threats were allegedly made to the officer investigating Obispo-Hernandez’s residence under a search warrant.
“These smuggling organizations have no regard for human life and their conduct kills,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally.
“Their members pose a danger to the public and law enforcement. We must vigorously enforce our immigration laws so that these organizations cannot operate. The indictment and arrests here have dismantled one of the country’s largest and most dangerous smuggling organizations. This work saves lives, and the members of the organization will now face significant consequences.”
According to the indictment, Renoj-Matul’s organization operated for almost a dozen years and smuggled illegal immigrants from Guatemala to the United States. His operation allowed for the transportation and movement of illegal immigrants — occurring exponentially in Phoenix and Los Angeles — and the harboring, concealing and shielding of illegal immigrants across the country.
Renoj-Matual received assistance from people living in Guatemala who solicited people to enter the country and accepted payment ranging from $15,000 to $18,000.
Mexican smuggling organizations transported the immigrants through Mexico and across the United States and Mexico border in Arizona, where they were reportedly held in the stash houses and picked up by organizational lieutenants. The immigrants were presented with additional fees, and for not paying them, they were held hostage in a stash house in the Westlake neighborhood.
Renoj-Matul directed that the proceeds be given to the Mexican smuggling organization to cover expenses incurred.
If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum sentence of death or life imprisonment.
Further arrests were made for Rolando Gomez-Gomez, dubbed “Chaka,” 39, of South Los Angeles, whose facing one count for being an illegal alien found in the United States after his removal, and Juan Lopez Garcia, dubbed “Boxer,” 41, of DTLA, who was arrested due to a civil removal matter. The two are alleged lieutenants of Renoj-Matul.
HSI’s El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, HSI’s Figueroa Initiative Gang and Human Trafficking Task Force, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Inglewood Police Department are investigating this case.
Additionally, Assistant U.S. attorneys Shawn J. Nelson and Elia Herrera of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering and Racketeering Section are prosecuting. Assistant United States Attorney Tara B. Vavere of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section will oversee the asset forfeiture involved in the case.
Five defendants — including a California Highway Patrol dispatcher and her husband, who is a convicted felon — were taken into federal custody on a 10-count indictment alleging they obtained $3.3 million in COVID-19 government unemployment benefits. They were reportedly able to do this by stealing identities and personal identifiable information.
The defendants Janet Clarise Gloria Theus, 44, of Lancaster; Diane Clarise Theus, 78, of Lancaster, Janet Theus’ mother; Dailen Spears, 24, of Carson; Erica Abson Robins, 57, of Compton, a CHP dispatcher; and Ronald Lee Robins, 62, of Compton, Robins’ convicted-felon husband, were charged by a federal grand jury with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Janet Theus was also charged with four counts of bank fraud. Diane Theus and Erica Abson Robins were charged with two counts of bank fraud. Janet Theus, Diane Theus, Erica Abson Robins and Ronald Lee Robins all have charges for one count of unlawful use of unauthorized access devices.
Janet Theus and Diane Theus surrendered to federal authorities and were arraigned by the U.S. District Court in DTLA.
Erica Abson Robins and Ronald Lee Robins were arrested and Spears also surrendered to federal authorities. These three defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges. An April 29 trial date was also scheduled.
Erica Robins and Spears were ordered for release on a $10,000 bond and a detention hearing is scheduled for March 11 for Ronald Robins, who’s in federal custody.
According to the indictment, the defendants from April 2020 to July 2022 collected and shared personal information like names and Social Security numbers to receive COVID-19 unemployment cash benefits. They reportedly filled out COVID-19 unemployment assistance applications and claimed job loss from the pandemic. Janet Theus, Diane Theus and Erica Robins then withdrew cash at ATMs.
The indictment further alleges the defendants of filing 293 applications for unemployment benefits with a total payout of $3.3 million. Around 169 applications were for children under 18 and about 106 were for children under 10. The defendants also submitted about 17 COVID-19 job-loss claims for incarcerated prisoners.
The indictment lastly alleges that Erica Robins used her dispatcher position to obtain a law enforcement database containing Social Security numbers and dates of birth regarding an inmate at the California Men’s Colony state prison in San Luis Obispo. This information allowed her to obtain COVID-19 job-loss cash benefits. Ronald Robins was also an inmate at the same prison where he collected Social Security numbers and dates of birth from inmates, which Janet Theus and Diane Theus used to withdraw COVID-19 job-loss cash benefits.
The defendants potentially face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each bank fraud-related count. Janet Theus, Diane Theus, Erica Robins and Ronald Robins all could face 10 years in federal prison for unlawful use of unauthorized access devices.
This operation is being handled by the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force; the U.S. Department of Justice; the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; the United States Postal Inspection Service; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Secret Service; the California Employment Development Department; California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.
Additionally, Assistant U.S. attorneys Diane B. Roldán and Matthew J. Tako of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting.