Eric Halem cryptocurrency robbery and sentencing case
The developments in this story so far, most recent first.
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· date approximate Resolution
Former LAPD officer gets life sentence for kidnapping teen in $350,000 bitcoin robbery: report
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· date approximate Background
Eric Halem was found guilty of kidnapping and robbery following a two-week trial.
Following a two-week trial, 38-year-old Eric Halem was found guilty of kidnapping and robbery in March. The verdict was reached by jurors in less than one day.
The conviction stems from a home invasion where Halem and three other men entered a Koreatown apartment in the early hours of December 28, 2024. During the incident, the men handcuffed two victims and moved funds from a cryptocurrency account, as well as taking jewelry and cash. Halem, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer, was sentenced to life plus 15 years in state prison after a judge rejected a bid for a new trial.
According to the district attorney's office, Halem will be eligible for parole after seven years. He also faces additional allegations involving insurance fraud and a separate cryptocurrency robbery that took place days before the Koreatown raid.
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Luis Banuelos, Pierre Louis, and Mishael Mann were charged with kidnapping and robbery.
In August 2025, Luis Banuelos, Pierre Louis, and Mishael Mann were charged with kidnapping for ransom, first-degree residential robbery, and home invasion robbery in concert. All three individuals have pleaded not guilty and maintained their innocence.
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· date approximate Background
Eric Halem and three accomplices entered a Koreatown apartment to commit robbery.
On approximately December 28, 2024, Eric Halem and three other men entered a Koreatown apartment at around 2:30 a.m. Prosecutors stated that the group wore vests identifying them as police officers and arrived in vehicles registered to Halem's car rental business.