LOS ANGELES, CA – A former Los Angeles Police Department officer was sentenced to life plus 15 years in state prison for his role in a violent kidnapping and robbery in which a teenager was forced to surrender a hard drive containing about $350,000 in bitcoin, officials said.
Eric Halem, 38, was convicted earlier this year on charges including robbery, kidnapping and other crimes tied to the Dec. 28, 2024, incident at a high-rise apartment in Koreatown.
Prosecutors said Halem and three other men posed as police officers executing a search warrant shortly after 2:30 a.m. at an apartment rented by a 17-year-old victim, identified only as Daniel.
According to details presented during trial, the group drove to the building in a green Range Rover and an orange Lamborghini Urus owned by Halem’s luxury car rental company, Drive L.A.
Wearing what appeared to be police-style vests, the men took an elevator to the 18th floor and entered the apartment using an access code that prosecutors said had been illegally provided by the person who rented out the unit.
Once inside, the men used LAPD-issued handcuffs to restrain the teen’s girlfriend and threatened to shoot the teenager unless he turned over a hard drive containing the bitcoin, prosecutors said.
Information reviewed by Street People indicates the teen had reportedly obtained at least part of the cryptocurrency through scams targeting other victims. Prosecutors said he surrendered the hard drive after Halem and the other men threatened to kill him.
A jury took less than a day to find Halem guilty.
Before sentencing, Halem and his current attorneys asked for a new trial, arguing that his previous defense team failed to properly examine key evidence or call witnesses. His new attorney also argued that the former defense team mishandled parts of the trial strategy, including the decision not to present an opening statement after the judge barred certain PowerPoint slides from being shown to jurors.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mildred Escobedo rejected the request, saying Halem’s former attorneys performed effectively and that the central problem for the defense was the strength of the evidence against him.
The judge said that even though the victims had engaged in criminal conduct themselves, Halem’s actions were “heinous and egregious” because he masqueraded as a police officer and abused the authority associated with law enforcement.
Halem had served 13 years with the LAPD before leaving the department nearly two years before the kidnapping and robbery.
He has also faced separate legal trouble. In 2025, state officials charged Halem and his brother in an alleged luxury car insurance fraud scheme involving a Bentley convertible.
During sentencing, Halem’s attorneys asked the court for leniency, saying he was his family’s sole breadwinner. Prosecutors pushed back, noting that the crime was committed during the holiday season.
Halem must serve nearly all of the 15-year term before beginning the life sentence. Officials said he will be eligible for parole after seven years.
The other men charged in the kidnapping and robbery case are awaiting trial.
