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Ex-LAPD officer sentenced to life plus 15 for $350K Bitcoin robbery

The judge said the access code used to enter the Koreatown apartment came from a conspirator who had rented the unit, and Halem remains facing additional crypto-related charges.

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A Los Angeles judge sentenced former LAPD officer Eric Halem to concurrent life terms for kidnapping and robbery tied to a home invasion in which $350,000 in Bitcoin was taken from a teenager, the Los Angeles Times reported, via Decrypt.

According to prosecutors, Halem and three other men entered a Koreatown apartment at about 2:30 a.m. on December 28, 2024, handcuffed two victims, moved funds out of their cryptocurrency account, and took cash and jewelry.

The court heard the group arrived in vehicles registered to a car rental business linked to Halem, wore vests identifying them as police, and gained entry using an access code provided by a conspirator who had rented the unit.

Decrypt reports that Judge Mildred Escobedo rejected a late request for a new trial, saying the evidence showed a willingness to use violence driven by greed, and that Halem becomes eligible for parole after seven years; Halem also faces additional charges including insurance fraud and a second crypto robbery that prosecutors describe but the article notes remain allegations.

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