A former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy was sentenced on July 20 to 12 months in federal prison for submitting a false search warrant application, falsely claiming he needed GPS tracking information for a robbery suspect’s cell phone when it was actually for a private client’s estranged husband during divorce proceedings.
David Anthony Rodriguez, 45, of La Verne, received the sentence from United States District Judge Percy Anderson. Rodriguez pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of conspiracy against rights and left the sheriff’s department in October 2025.
Court documents show that while serving as an active-duty law enforcement officer, Rodriguez worked as a private security guard for clients of Eric Chase Saavedra’s company. One client was Adam Iza, who has pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges and is awaiting sentencing. Another client identified as “Person 1” had an ongoing dispute with her husband—the victim in this case. Rodriguez received cash payments for his work and developed a personal relationship with Person 1.
In July 2022, Rodriguez obtained a search warrant by submitting an affidavit falsely stating that he needed assistance from the sheriff’s gang surveillance team regarding a recent robbery. He claimed the victim’s cell phone number belonged to the robbery suspect and sought GPS location data. The information obtained through this warrant was later used to track the victim across state lines and shared with Saavedra. According to his plea agreement, Rodriguez admitted knowing that information unlawfully obtained by him and other deputies had been used to threaten or intimidate others.
Prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum, “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.” Saavedra previously pleaded guilty to related charges and is expected to be sentenced soon.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation led the investigation with assistance from LASD. Assistant United States Attorney Maxwell K. Coll prosecuted the case on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, which serves more than 19 million residents across seven counties and works closely with law enforcement partners on public safety initiatives, according to the official website.