Former LAPD officer convicted of kidnapping teen in $350K crypto robbery

Former Los Angeles Police Department officer Eric Halem was convicted of handcuffing and threatening to kill a teenager to steal Bitcoin.

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.

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