LOS ANGELES, California — A former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy has been sentenced to one year in federal prison after admitting he abused his law enforcement authority by submitting a false search warrant application to track a private client’s estranged husband during a bitter divorce dispute.
David Anthony Rodriguez, 45, of La Verne, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of conspiracy against rights. According to federal prosecutors, Rodriguez falsely claimed he needed cellphone GPS records for a robbery investigation when, in reality, he was trying to locate his client’s husband. Rodriguez resigned from the Sheriff’s Department in October following the criminal investigation.
False Search Warrant Used to Track Divorce Target
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Rodriguez filed a fraudulent search warrant application in July 2022, telling a state judge that he required GPS tracking information linked to a robbery suspect’s cellphone.
Investigators later determined the warrant had nothing to do with a robbery. Instead, prosecutors said Rodriguez used his official position to help a wealthy private client involved in a contentious divorce locate her estranged husband, identified in court records only as T.F.
After obtaining the GPS data, Rodriguez learned the man was in Utah and shared his location with co-conspirators, according to court documents.
Prosecutors Call It a “Calculated Abuse of Authority”
Federal prosecutors argued Rodriguez knowingly misused the public’s trust for personal gain.
“This was not impulsive conduct or a momentary lapse in judgment. It was a calculated abuse of authority carried out with full awareness of its significance,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
Authorities said Rodriguez was working part-time for a private security company owned by fellow deputy Eric Chase Saavedra, where he provided security services for the client in exchange for cash payments.
Court records state Rodriguez later learned that deputies had towed the victim’s vehicle while he was away and that co-conspirators allegedly placed a tracking device on the vehicle in Utah before sending the victim a threatening text message.
Sheriff’s Department Condemns Former Deputy’s Actions
Following the sentencing, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Rodriguez’s conduct violated the agency’s standards and values.
“The criminal actions outlined in this case are unacceptable and inconsistent with our high standards and expectations,” the department said in a statement.
Officials added that the vast majority of deputies serve their communities with professionalism and integrity and deserve to work alongside colleagues who uphold those same principles.
Case Linked to Wider Federal Investigation
Rodriguez is one of several current and former deputies charged in a broader federal investigation involving Adam Iza, a cryptocurrency businessman known as “The Godfather.”
Federal prosecutors allege multiple deputies performed illegal work for Iza and other private clients, including unlawful surveillance, extortion-related offenses and civil rights violations.
Several co-defendants have already pleaded guilty or been sentenced. Former deputy Scott Simkins recently received an 18-month prison sentence, while Michael David Coberg is serving more than five years in prison. Christopher Michael Cadman and Eric Chase Saavedra have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Rodriguez has now been sentenced to one year in federal prison after admitting his role in the conspiracy. The broader federal investigation into corruption involving former deputies and private security work has resulted in multiple criminal convictions and remains one of the most significant public corruption cases involving the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in recent years.
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