Former Police Officer in the US Turns Out to Be a Crypto Thief
Former Los Angeles police officer Eric Halem was found guilty of kidnapping a 17-year-old and stealing $350 000 in Bitcoin during a home robbery in 2024.
⚖️ According to court reports, Halem and three accomplices posed as police officers, wore LAPD vests, broke into the apartment, and threatened the teenager with a weapon, demanding the hard drive containing cryptocurrency.
The incident is part of the growing trend of so-called “wrench attacks”—robberies of crypto investors using force. According to CertiK, there were 72 such attacks in 2025, a 75% increase compared to the previous year.
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Former Police Officer in the US Turns Out to Be a Crypto Thief
Former Los Angeles police officer Eric Halem was found guilty of kidnapping a 17-year-old and stealing $350 000 in Bitcoin during a home robbery in 2024.
⚖️ According to court reports, Halem and three accomplices posed as police officers, wore LAPD vests, broke into the apartment, and threatened the teenager with a weapon, demanding the hard drive containing cryptocurrency.
The incident is part of the growing trend of so-called “wrench attacks”—robberies of crypto investors using force. According to CertiK, there were 72 such attacks in 2025, a 75% increase compared to the previous year.