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A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury sentenced former LAPD officer Eric Halem to life plus 15 years in prison on Aug. 4, 2026, after convicting him of kidnapping and robbing a teenager of $350,000 in bitcoin during a December 2024 home invasion in which Halem and three accomplices posed as police.
The case has drawn attention because it involved a former law enforcement officer abusing his position during a home invasion robbery tied to digital assets.
Halem, 38, was convicted in March after a two-week jury trial that found him guilty of kidnapping, robbery and other related offenses stemming from the home invasion robbery.
Before sentencing, his attorney, Joseph Weimortz, argued that Halem deserved a new trial, claiming his previous legal team failed to call witnesses or examine important evidence. He also argued that strategic mistakes, including not presenting an opening statement after certain PowerPoint slides were excluded, deprived Halem of a fair defense.
Judge Mildred Escobedo rejected those arguments, saying the issue was not the quality of legal representation but the weight of evidence presented during trial.
“The dilemma in this case was not counsel’s ability to perform. The dilemma in this case was the extremely overwhelming evidence against Mr. Halem.” — Judge Mildred Escobedo
The judge acknowledged receiving letters from Halem’s relatives and friends describing him as a devoted father and honorable man. However, she concluded that the evidence showed someone motivated by greed rather than public service.
Ultimately, she imposed concurrent life sentences for kidnapping and robbery, in addition to a 15-year prison term. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Halem must complete most of the 15-year sentence before beginning the concurrent life terms and will become eligible for parole after seven years.
According to prosecutors, Halem and three other men disguised themselves as police officers executing a search warrant during the December 2024 home invasion robbery.
Driving a green Range Rover and an orange Lamborghini Urus linked to Halem’s luxury car rental business, the group entered a high-rise apartment in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. Trial testimony showed they used an access code obtained through another conspirator who had rented the apartment.
Inside, the men allegedly handcuffed the teenager’s girlfriend using LAPD-issued restraints before overpowering the 17-year-old victim, identified in court only as Daniel. Prosecutors said they threatened to shoot him unless he surrendered a hard drive containing approximately $350,000 worth of bitcoin.
Deputy District Attorney Jane Brownstone argued during trial that Halem had violated the oath he once took as a police officer.
“So he was not with his family during the holidays — he was doing this.” — Jane Brownstone, Deputy District Attorney
Jurors deliberated for less than one day before finding Halem guilty on multiple charges related to the home invasion robbery.
During sentencing, Judge Escobedo said the victims’ own alleged criminal conduct involving cryptocurrency scams did not justify the violence committed against them.
She emphasized that pretending to be a police officer while carrying out the home invasion robbery made the crime particularly serious.
“It is not that I have a higher standard for Mr. Halem (because he used to be a police officer). It is the facts of this case that are an affront for the court and should be an affront to the public.” — Judge Mildred Escobedo
Escobedo also noted that Halem had targeted people who “perhaps shouldn’t be seen as victims, because they were criminals themselves,” but stressed that this did not excuse his conduct.
She encouraged the former officer to use his prison sentence to improve himself and pursue a college education.
“I’m not going to pretend that this is going to be a lovely experience — it will not be,” the judge told him before deputies escorted him from the courtroom.
Halem’s legal problems are far from over. Prosecutors confirmed he still faces pending charges in a separate insurance fraud case as well as another alleged crypto-related home invasion robbery said to have occurred only days before the Koreatown incident.
Meanwhile, Halem’s family maintained his innocence following Tuesday’s sentencing.
“We’re all devastated and heartbroken and I believe that the truth didn’t come out at the trial,” his mother, Randi Halem, told reporters. “It was a miscarriage of the law.”
His sister, Alison Halem, also criticized the presence of LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division detectives in the courtroom, suggesting it appeared intimidating for the family during sentencing.
Halem had already left full-time service with the LAPD nearly two years before the home invasion robbery, though he continued serving as a reserve officer. Trial evidence showed he also operated several businesses, including a luxury car rental company and a remote audition platform for actors.
His alleged co-defendants have not yet stood trial and continue to deny the allegations. One of them, Gabby Ben, has previously been convicted twice of fraud and prosecutors allege he has ties to Israeli organized crime, claims his defense disputes.
The case underscores the growing intersection between violent crime and cryptocurrency holdings, with prosecutors arguing that digital assets have increasingly become targets for organized criminal groups willing to use intimidation and deception to obtain access to victims’ wallets and storage devices.
Primary source: Los Angeles Times report by Libor Jany and Matthew Ormseth
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