A 25-year-old California cryptocurrency entrepreneur known as “The Godfather” has pleaded guilty to his role in a violent kidnapping and attempted bitcoin robbery tied to a 2024 incident in Danbury, Connecticut, federal prosecutors announced Monday.

Adam Iza entered a guilty plea in federal court in Bridgeport to conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce, commonly referred to as a Hobbs Act violation. He faces up to 20 years in prison at his sentencing scheduled for Aug. 12, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.

Authorities say the case stems from an Aug. 25, 2024, incident in which Danbury police arrested six men from Florida following a violent carjacking involving a Lamborghini Urus and the abduction of its occupants.

Investigators later determined the victims were the parents of a person allegedly involved in the theft of at least $245 million in bitcoin. Prosecutors said Iza helped plan and coordinate the kidnapping in an attempt to recover a portion of the stolen cryptocurrency.

Court documents indicate Iza used encrypted messaging platforms and his cellphone to direct the operation, including logistics and funding. Another alleged co-conspirator—who reportedly had a prior dispute with the victims’ son at a Miami nightclub—also played a key role by financing the plot and arranging travel and accommodations.

Iza has remained in federal custody since his arrest in September 2024 on separate charges.

In a related case, he and a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy agreed in January 2025 to plead guilty to additional federal charges involving a scheme in Los Angeles that targeted multiple victims through intimidation, extortion, unlawful searches, and other abuses of authority.