A former Los Angeles Police Department officer, Eric Halem, is sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years for a 2024 home invasion robbery in which he and others kidnapped a 17-year-old and stole cryptocurrency worth about $350,000. According to reports, the group entered a high-rise in Los Angeles’ Koreatown area while wearing police-style vests. The teenager is taken into custody during the incident, is handcuffed, and is forced to give up access to devices tied to the victim’s crypto holdings. Multiple outlets report that the stolen material included the victim’s hard drive, which contained information related to the teen’s cryptocurrency. After taking the hard drive and detaining the teenager, the group carries out the robbery. The Los Angeles Times and other sources describe the case as both a robbery and a kidnapping-related offense, culminating in Halem receiving a life sentence plus an additional 15 years. The reports consistently identify Halem as a former LAPD officer and place the incident in 2024, with the stolen amount reported at approximately $350,000 in bitcoin or cryptocurrency.