"Prosecutors argued that Halem, 38, and three alleged accomplices posed as police officers to gain entry to a high-rise apartment in Koreatown. Once inside, they restrained a 17-year-old and his girlfriend and stole a hard drive containing private keys to roughly $350,000 in bitcoin. The victim, who testified under his first name, Daniel, told jurors that the men threatened to kill him if he did not hand over the device."
"Halem served 13 years with the Los Angeles Police Department and left the department in 2022. At the time of the robbery, he was working as a reserve officer. Evidence presented at trial showed that he operated a luxury car rental business, DriveLA, and had pursued other ventures, including an app for actors to audition remotely and discussions about a reality television project."
"They took the elevator to the 18th floor and entered the apartment during the early morning hours of Dec. 28, 2024. Daniel's girlfriend was placed in LAPD-issued handcuffs, and Daniel was subdued and cuffed before the suspects demanded the hard drive with the bitcoin. Prosecutors said the teenager complied under threat of being shot."
A Los Angeles County jury found former LAPD officer Eric Halem guilty of kidnapping and bitcoin robbery following a two-week trial. Halem and three accomplices posed as police officers to gain entry to a Koreatown high-rise apartment in December 2024. They restrained a 17-year-old victim and his girlfriend, then stole a hard drive containing private keys to approximately $350,000 in bitcoin. The victim testified that the perpetrators threatened to kill him if he did not surrender the device. Halem, who served 13 years with LAPD and was working as a reserve officer at the time, also operated a luxury car rental business. Jurors deliberated less than a day before convicting him on both charges, which carry potential life sentences.
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