After serving the warrant on the phone company, Rodriguez obtained location pings that allowed him to track the husband to Utah. He then shared the information with Saavedra, prosecutors said.
Rodriguez later learned that others involved in the scheme had a tracking device placed on the husband’s vehicle, arranged for the vehicle to be towed while he was in Los Angeles and sent him a threatening text message, according to court documents.
Rodriguez admitted that he knew Saavedra and other deputies working for the security company had illegally obtained information and used it to threaten, intimidate or oppress people.
“This was not impulsive conduct or a momentary lapse in judgment,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “It was a calculated abuse of authority carried out with full awareness of its significance.”
The case is part of a wider federal investigation involving Iza and several former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies accused of using their positions to target people involved in personal or business disputes with the cryptocurrency trader.