Former LAPD Officer Convicted of Kidnapping and Stealing $350,000 in Bitcoin
Cryptocurrency transactions can be anonymous and difficult to trace, increasingly making holders targets of violent crime. Former Los Angeles Police Department officer Eric Halem allegedly used his law-enforcement experience to commit the crime, highlighting how “wrench attacks” involving kidnapping and assault to extract private keys are becoming a major global cryptocurrency security threat.
A court recently convicted Halem of kidnapping and cryptocurrency theft. Prosecutors said he impersonated a police officer to enter a home in 2024, kidnapped a 17-year-old boy and forced the victim to surrender $350,000 worth of Bitcoin. The case also shows how digital-asset risks have expanded beyond online hacking to physical violence.
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The history behind this eventEx-LAPD Officer Gets Life Plus 15 Years for $350,000 Bitcoin Robbery
The case arose from a Dec. 28, 2024, home invasion in Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood targeting a 17-year-old cryptocurrency holder. Prosecutors said former Los Angeles Police Department officer Eric Halem and accomplices posed as police, restrained the teenager and his girlfriend with handcuffs, and threatened to kill him. The group took a hard drive holding about $350,000 in Bitcoin, along with other property, highlighting the physical-security risks facing owners of digital assets.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury convicted Halem, 38, of kidnapping and robbery on March 2, 2026, after deliberating for less than a day. A judge sentenced him on March 31 to life in prison plus 15 years. Halem served 13 years with the LAPD and left the department in 2022, though he remained a reserve officer when the robbery occurred. Proceedings against other defendants in the case remain pending.
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