Crypto
Former LAPD Officer Sentenced to Life for $350K BTC Heist
Eric Halem, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer, was sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years for orchestrating a fake police raid that resulted in the theft of $350,000 worth of BTC from a teenage crypto investor.
The incident occurred in late 2024 when Halem and his accomplices impersonated actual police officers to gain access to the victim's apartment in Los Angeles' Koreatown.
They wore police-identifying vests and carried LAPD-issued handcuffs, restraining the teenager and his girlfriend before threatening to shoot them if they didn't give access to a hard drive containing the stolen BTC.