DANBURY — Adam Iza pleaded guilty on June 2, 2026, to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery for orchestrating the attempted kidnapping of Veer Chetal’s parents in Danbury, Connecticut. The scheme aimed to secure a share of proceeds from a $245 million Bitcoin theft carried out by Chetal and two accomplices.
On August 25, 2024, Sushil and Radhika Chetal were pulled from their Lamborghini SUV near Danbury High School by several men. Sushil Chetal was beaten with a baseball bat, and Radhika Chetal was dragged by her hair before both were bound with duct tape and forced into a van. Police intercepted the vehicle following witness reports, leading to a crash and the arrest of two suspects at the scene; four others fled on foot but were apprehended shortly afterward.
The six men, all from Florida, pleaded guilty in connection with the kidnapping attempt. Two have been sentenced to 11 years in prison, while the others await sentencing. The Chetals were taken to a hospital after the incident and later released.
According to court records, the group surveilled the Chetals hours before the abduction, which occurred one week after Veer Chetal and two others stole 4,100 Bitcoins by impersonating technical support staff for Google and a cryptocurrency exchange. Prosecutors said the stolen funds were used for luxury cars, jewelry, rental mansions, and nightclub parties. Veer Chetal pleaded guilty in November 2025 and awaits sentencing.
Authorities stated that Iza and James Schwab recruited the six men, paying for their travel and lodging to carry out the kidnapping. Schwab and Saif Faiq, also known as Ahmed Faiq, were charged in the case and pleaded not guilty. A month before the abduction attempt, Schwab had a dispute with Veer Chetal at a Miami nightclub and later instructed an acquaintance to rob Chetal and his friends at their Miami rental home, though it is unclear whether that robbery occurred.
Iza, a 25-year-old California cryptocurrency mogul who operated a firm called Zort and referred to himself as “The Godfather,” also pleaded guilty in January 2026 to separate federal charges including wire fraud, conspiracy against rights, and tax evasion. He admitted to stealing more than $37 million by fraudulently accessing Meta Platforms business manager accounts between 2020 and 2022. He said he spent the stolen money on luxury cars and cosmetic surgery to lengthen his legs.
Beginning in August 2021, Iza paid approximately $100,000 per month to a private security firm founded by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy. He hired off-duty deputies as enforcers in personal and business disputes, and the deputies used law enforcement databases to gather information on Iza’s perceived enemies and obtained search warrants under false pretenses. On one occasion, two deputies held a victim at gunpoint in Iza’s Bel Air mansion and pressured him to transfer $25,000 to Iza’s account. Several deputies have since been charged in the investigation. Federal prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of at least 14 years for Iza at sentencing for the Connecticut kidnapping conspiracy.