According to CoinMeta, and as reported by the Los Angeles Times, former Los Angeles Police Department officer Eric Halem was sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years of state prison by Judge Mildred Escobedo of the Los Angeles County Superior Court for his involvement in a violent burglary and kidnapping case targeting teenagers in Koreatown Koreatown in December 2024. The trial revealed that Halem and his accomplices disguised themselves as police and broke into the apartment of a 17-year-old, forcing him to hand over a hard drive containing Bitcoin worth $350,000 through violent threats. The judge pointed out that Halem abused his law enforcement powers to commit the crime, and the nature of his actions was extremely vile. Halem also faces other outstanding charges related to cryptocurrency-related robberies and insurance fraud.