Hold onto your hats, folks, because this tale of crime, crypto, and courtroom drama is one for the books! We've got Iris Ramaya Au, a 35-year-old from sunny Irvine, set to face the music in court for what could be a three-year stint in the slammer. And why, you ask? Well, it seems she got a little too cozy with some unreported millions courtesy of her ex-boyfriend's shady dealings.
Now, this isn't just any ex-boyfriend—Au was linked to a character who fancied himself as “The Godfather” of cryptocurrency fraud. Yep, we're talking about Iza, a man who painted the town red with a colorful palette of scams between 2020 and 2024. He didn't just stop at crypto; he had his fingers in all sorts of pies, from sneaky advertising account takeovers to credit line hijacks involving big names like Facebook and Meta. Talk about ambition!
Iza wasn't the type to get his hands dirty alone. He enlisted some heavy-duty help from Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies, who he allegedly paid handsomely in cold, hard cash to play bodyguard and dig up intel on his enemies. Guess what? This operation was funded by none other than the millions tucked away in those sneaky shell companies, all thanks to Au's handiwork.
But wait, there's more! Au wasn't just a passive player in this high-stakes game. She was the mastermind behind acquiring a whopping $16 million in crypto for Iza. And from 2020 to 2023, she funneled over $2.6 million into her own pockets. The catch? She conveniently “forgot” to mention this to the good folks at the IRS.
Now, Iris is staring down the barrel of a three-year prison sentence, but her ex, Iza, is in for a rougher ride with a potential 35-year sentence looming over his head. He's been cooling his heels in federal custody since last September, and come June 16, the gavel will fall on his fate.
So there you have it—a story of love gone wrong, crypto gone rogue, and a duo who danced a little too close to the legal flames. Stay tuned for the next chapter in this wild saga!
