A former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who once worked on elite tactical teams is headed to federal prison after lying about a high-pressure confrontation inside a Bel Air mansion tied to a self-styled cryptocurrency "godfather."
Scott Allen Simpkins, a 34-year-old former deputy from Brea, was sentenced Monday to 18 months in federal prison for obstructing a federal investigation into the crypto businessman. Prosecutors said Simpkins falsely denied seeing a $25,000 extortion play out at the Bel Air home, where live ammunition was displayed in front of a party planner.
U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson also hit Simpkins with a $10,000 fine and formally accepted his resignation from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Special Enforcement Bureau.
What Prosecutors Say
Federal prosecutors said Simpkins pleaded guilty on March 17 to one count of obstruction of justice and, on July 13, was sentenced to 18 months behind bars and fined $10,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The office said Simpkins had been assigned to the LASD's Lakewood Station and had worked with the department’s Special Enforcement Bureau and SWAT team before resigning following his guilty plea.
How The Bel Air Confrontation Unfolded
According to prosecutors, the trouble started in August 2021 when alleged crypto operator Adam Iza hired Simpkins and other deputies as private security for a party at his Bel Air residence. The next day, Iza allegedly locked the party planner, identified in court records only as "R.C.," in his office, placed four or five live 9mm rounds on his desk and spun one of the bullets while demanding $25,000.
After the money was transferred, Simpkins and another deputy escorted the planner out of the house. Later, when federal agents came asking questions, Simpkins claimed he had not seen any ammunition or financial transaction, statements investigators say were false, as reported by MyNewsLA.
Wider Fallout Inside The Sheriff’s Department
The Simpkins case is just one piece of a broader federal probe into Iza, a self-styled crypto entrepreneur who is accused of using law enforcement officers as private muscle to intimidate rivals and squeeze out payments.
Earlier this year, former LASD deputy Michael Coberg was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison after admitting his role in extortion schemes and helping stage a sham drug arrest, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Legal Implications
Simpkins pleaded guilty to a single count of obstruction of justice, a charge that carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Simpkins "knew his lies had the natural and probable effect of interfering with the criminal investigation," according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The office noted that the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation handled the probe, and that Assistant U.S. Attorney Maxwell K. Coll prosecuted the case.
What’s Next
The sentencing drew public attention after being flagged in a post by FBI Los Angeles on X.
The wider investigation has already produced guilty pleas and prison terms for multiple deputies and is raising fresh questions about off-duty law enforcement officers moonlighting for private security operations, according to the Los Angeles Times.
