A Los Angeles County judge has sentenced former LAPD reserve officer Eric Halem to life in prison plus 15 years after his conviction in a kidnapping and robbery case tied to $350,000 in bitcoin. The case centered on a hard drive that prosecutors said belonged to a 17-year-old victim.

Judge Mildred Escobedo imposed concurrent life terms for kidnapping and robbery and rejected Halem’s request for a new trial before sentencing. According to the report, Halem must serve most of the 15-year term before beginning the concurrent life sentences, and he will be eligible for parole after seven years.

Conviction followed two-week trial

Halem was convicted in March after a two-week trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court. A jury found him guilty of kidnapping and robbery in connection with the theft of a hard drive said to contain bitcoin worth about $350,000.

Prosecutors alleged that Halem and three co-conspirators entered a high-rise apartment and forced the teenager to surrender the device. They said the group threatened to kill the victim unless he handed it over.

Judge denies bid for new trial

Before sentencing, Halem asked for a new trial. He argued that his attorneys had failed to call witnesses and did not examine evidence he considered important.

Escobedo denied that request and then imposed the sentence. The report said the life terms for kidnapping and robbery are concurrent, while the additional 15-year sentence must largely be completed first.

Officer status at time of robbery

Halem had left the Los Angeles Police Department nearly two years before the robbery, according to the report. Even so, he was still serving as a reserve officer when the crime took place.

That detail has kept attention on the case beyond the crypto element, as the defendant had continuing ties to law enforcement at the time prosecutors say the robbery occurred.

Other cases remain unresolved

The sentencing in this case does not end Halem’s legal troubles. He also faces pending charges in separate matters involving insurance fraud and another alleged crypto-related robbery.

The three co-defendants identified by prosecutors in the bitcoin kidnapping case have not yet gone to trial. Those proceedings are the next confirmed step in the broader case.

Source: www.theblock.co