LAPD Reserve Officer Gets Life Sentence for Bitcoin-Related Kidnapping

A former Los Angeles Police Department reserve officer has been sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years for kidnapping and robbing a teenager of a hard drive containing approximately $350,000 worth of Bitcoin during a home invasion in 2024.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mildred Escobedo imposed the sentence on Eric Halem after rejecting his request for a new trial. The judge said Halem acted out of 'sheer and utter greed' and that there could have been no other conclusion based on the facts presented in court.

Halem still faces separate criminal cases, including alleged insurance fraud and another crypto-related robbery. His three co-defendants have not yet gone to trial.