According to CoinMeta, and as reported by The Block, former Los Angeles police officer Eric Hallum was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 15 years for his involvement in the kidnapping and robbery of a 17-year-old teenager in Koreatown in December 2024. During the trial, Hallum was found guilty of forcing the victim to hand over a hard drive containing $350,000 in Bitcoin under life-threatening circumstances. Mildred Escobedo, a judge from the Los Angeles County Superior Court, rejected the final request from Hallum's defense attorneys for a retrial, stating that Hallum's actions were driven by “pure and utter greed.” The judge noted that Hallum took advantage of his police status to commit crimes, describing his behavior as “heinous and extremely vile.” Hallum was convicted after the trial; the prosecution stated that he and three accomplices entered a high-rise apartment and threatened the victim to hand over the hard drive. Hallum had left the Los Angeles Police Department two years before the robbery occurred but was still serving as a reserve officer at the time.