Los Angeles County Judge Sentences Former LAPD Officer to Life Plus 15 Years in Armed Crypto Robbery of 17-Year-Old

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge sentenced former Los Angeles Police Department officer Eric Halem to life plus 15 years in state prison for his role in a December 2024 armed robbery in Koreatown that prosecutors described as kidnapping a 17-year-old and stealing digital assets, according to a report published Tuesday by Zero Hedge.

The report said the victim was approached in Koreatown and that the robbery included taking a hard drive containing bitcoin valued at about $350,000, an amount that was tied to the stolen device rather than a cash payment. The report also described the case as involving an armed taking during which the teen was held during the incident.

Zero Hedge reported that the sentence was imposed Tuesday by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mildred, with the judge’s full name not included in the available record. The report characterized the sentence as life plus 15 years, reflecting both the seriousness of the kidnapping-related conduct and the robbery involving the stolen cryptocurrency hardware.

The report further stated that Halem was a former LAPD officer, placing the case within a larger public-safety focus on accountability for officers after employment, particularly where a robbery includes restraints or detention of a young victim.

Although the court outcome is attributed to the report, an official Department of Justice confirmation of the disposition was not found in the provided materials, and the reporting does not include a DOJ docket, press release, or a court order text that can be cited directly here.

The next procedural step, where applicable, would be the filing of any motions or appeals in state court following sentencing, though the available record does not specify whether Halem’s team has announced an appeal or whether additional charges are pending in the same matter.