Former Los Angeles Police Officer Sentenced to Life Plus 15 Years for $350,000 Bitcoin Theft

Odaily Planet Daily Report: Former Los Angeles police officer Eric Halem has been sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 15 years for a home invasion robbery case involving the transfer of $350,000 in Bitcoin from a 17-year-old victim. Halem will be eligible for parole after seven years. Prosecutors stated that at approximately 2:30 a.m. on December 28, 2024, Halem and three other men entered an apartment in Koreatown, handcuffed two victims, transferred funds from their cryptocurrency accounts, and stole cash and jewelry. The suspects drove a Range Rover and a Lamborghini Urus registered under Halem’s car rental company and wore vests bearing police insignia. They gained entry to the apartment using a access code provided by an accomplice who had previously rented the unit. Halem served 13 years with the Los Angeles Police Department and had been off duty for nearly two years at the time of the crime, though he remained a reserve officer. He also faces additional charges of insurance fraud and another cryptocurrency robbery that occurred several days prior to this incident; these charges are still pending.