Former LAPD Officer Sentenced to Life for Bitcoin Kidnapping

Eric Halem receives life plus 15 years for armed kidnapping and stealing $350,000 in Bitcoin. Parole eligibility may occur after seven years.

Woofun AI reports that former Los Angeles Police Department officer Eric Halem was sentenced to life imprisonment with an additional 15-year term for the armed kidnapping of a 17-year-old male in December 2024. The incident occurred in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, where Halem and three accomplices forced the victim to surrender a hard drive containing Bitcoin valued at $350,000 under threat of death. Judge Mildred Escobedo of the Los Angeles County Superior Court issued the verdict on Tuesday, denying the defense's request for a retrial.

Although Halem had left the LAPD nearly two years prior, he remained on reserve duty at the time of the crime. He was convicted by a jury following a two-week trial in March this year. Prosecutors stated that Halem must serve most of the 15-year sentence before beginning the life term, with potential parole eligibility after seven years. He currently faces additional charges involving insurance fraud and another cryptocurrency-related robbery, while his co-defendants remain untried.