A former Los Angeles Police Department officer has been convicted of kidnapping a teenager and stealing $350,000 in cryptocurrency during a 2024 home invasion. A jury found Eric Halem guilty of kidnapping and robbery after he and three other men posed as police to rob a 17-year-old Bitcoin holder. The case is part of a global increase in violent “wrench attacks” targeting crypto investors.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury found Eric Halem guilty of kidnapping and robbery on Monday after a two-week trial. The court was told Halem and three other men posed as police carrying out a search warrant on an apartment rented by a 17-year-old.
Prosecutors said the teenager gave up a hard drive containing Bitcoin (BTC) after the men threatened to kill him. The case is the latest in a global trend of so-called “wrench attacks,” where perpetrators use threats or actual violence to steal crypto assets.
Crypto security company CertiK reported last month that 72 such attacks happened worldwide in 2025, a 75% increase from 2024. The men allegedly wore vests identifying them as police and gained access using a code from a conspirator who rented the apartment.
They then restrained the teenager’s girlfriend with LAPD-issued handcuffs and subdued the victim. The men threatened to shoot him if he didn’t hand over his hard drive containing crypto, according to victim testimony.
Halem served 13 years with the LAPD and left in 2022, but was still a reserve officer at the time of the robbery. Halem’s attorney, Megan Maitia, argued detectives hadn’t corroborated the victim’s story.
She claimed police simply took him at his word when he said he’d been robbed of the Bitcoin. “She said admitted in testimony to obtaining his crypto via fraud.”
Halem, who did not testify, is set to be sentenced on March 31. His co-defendants, one of whom is allegedly tied to Israeli organized crime, are yet to stand trial and have maintained their innocence.
