A former Los Angeles Police Department officer, Eric Halem, has been convicted of kidnapping and robbery in a 2024 incident involving the theft of $350,000 worth of Bitcoin from a teenager. A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury found Halem guilty after a two-week trial, where prosecutors detailed how he and three accomplices impersonated police officers to gain access to a 17-year-old's apartment in Koreatown. The group threatened the victim and forced him to surrender a hard drive containing the cryptocurrency. Despite the victim's admission that his Bitcoin was obtained through fraudulent means, the jury upheld the robbery charge. Halem, who retired from the LAPD in 2022 after 13 years of service but remained a reserve officer, is scheduled for sentencing on March 31. The other defendants in the case have yet to face trial.