A Los Angeles County jury found former LAPD officer Eric Halem guilty of kidnapping and robbery for his role in a 2024 home invasion that resulted in the theft of about $350,000 in cryptocurrency, the Los Angeles Times reported. The verdict followed a two-week trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Prosecutors say Halem and three others posed as police carrying out a search warrant at an apartment rented by a 17-year-old who had accumulated a significant amount of crypto. The teenager, who testified under his first name, Daniel, said the men threatened to kill him and forced him to hand over a hard drive containing Bitcoin.
The incident is among a rising number of so-called “wrench attacks,” in which attackers use threats or violence to coerce crypto holders into surrendering private keys or devices. Crypto security firm CertiK reported 72 such attacks globally in 2025, a 75% increase from 2024.
Testimony at trial described how the defendants wore vests identifying them as law enforcement and gained entry using an access code provided by a conspirator who had rented the unit. Witnesses said the men used LAPD-issued handcuffs to restrain the teenager’s girlfriend and then handcuffed the 17-year-old, demanding the hard drive and threatening to shoot him if he did not comply.
Halem, who served 13 years with the LAPD and left the department in 2022, remained a reserve officer at the time of the attack, prosecutors said. He also operated side businesses, including a luxury car rental company and a remote audition app for actors.
In closing arguments, Halem’s attorney, Megan Maitia, urged jurors to question the teen’s account, saying detectives did not sufficiently corroborate his testimony and pointing out that the teenager admitted acquiring some cryptocurrency through fraudulent means. Maitia argued police accepted the robbery allegation without adequate verification. Halem did not take the witness stand.
Halem is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31. His alleged co-conspirators, one of whom prosecutors say has ties to Israeli organized crime, have pleaded not guilty and have not yet faced trial.
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