A former Los Angeles Police Department officer has been convicted of kidnapping a 17-year-old and stealing $350,000 worth of crypto in a 2024 home invasion.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury found Eric Halem guilty of kidnapping and robbery on Monday after a two-week trial, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The court was told that Halem and three other men posed as police carrying out a search warrant on an apartment rented by the teenager, who reportedly had earned a significant amount of crypto.
Prosecutors said the teenager, who testified under his first name, Daniel, gave up a hard drive containing Bitcoin (BTC) after Halem and the other men threatened to kill him.
The case is the latest in a global trend of so-called “wrench attacks,” where perpetrators use threats or actual violence against crypto holders to steal their assets. Crypto security company CertiK reported last month that 72 such attacks happened worldwide in 2025, a 75% increase from 2024.
Men allegedly broke into apartment, cuffed victim for crypto
Halem and the three alleged co-conspirators reportedly wore vests that identified them as police and gained access to the teenager’s apartment by entering an access code obtained from a conspirator who rented out the apartment.
The men then restrained the teenager’s girlfriend with LAPD-issued handcuffs, subdued the 17-year-old by also handcuffing him, and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t hand over his hard drive containing crypto, according to victim testimony.
Halem served 13 years with the LAPD and left in 2022, but was still serving as a reserve officer at the time of the robbery. He also had side businesses, including a luxury car rental company and an app that allowed actors to remotely audition.
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Halem’s attorney, Megan Maitia, argued in her closing remarks that detectives hadn’t corroborated the story of the 17-year-old victim, who she said admitted in testimony to obtaining his crypto via fraud.
She claimed police simply took him at his word when he said he’d been robbed of the Bitcoin.
Halem, who did not testify, is set to be sentenced on March 31. His co-defendants, one of whom is allegedly tied to Israeli organized crime, are yet to stand trial and have maintained their innocence.
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