Former LAPD officer sentenced for stealing $350K in BTC in Los Angeles Koreatown

Former Los Angeles Police Department officer Eric Halem has been sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years for stealing $350,000 worth of Bitcoin in Los Angeles Koreatown in December 2024, The Block reported. Halem and three accomplices broke into an apartment and threatened a 17-year-old victim before taking a hard drive containing the BTC. Halem sought a retrial, but the court rejected the request, saying the motive behind the petition was improper.