Former Los Angeles police officer Eric Halem was found guilty by a jury of kidnapping and robbery for participating in "wrench attacks" against cryptocurrency holders (using violence to coerce private keys). The case took place in an apartment in Koreatown, Los Angeles, in 2024. Halem and his accomplices impersonated police officers, entered the residence, and held a 17-year-old crypto holder at gunpoint, stealing a hard drive containing private keys to approximately $3.5 million worth of Bitcoin. The related charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. (Decrypt)
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Former Los Angeles police officer Eric Halem was found guilty by a jury of kidnapping and robbery for participating in "wrench attacks" against cryptocurrency holders (using violence to coerce private keys). The case took place in an apartment in Koreatown, Los Angeles, in 2024. Halem and his accomplices impersonated police officers, entered the residence, and held a 17-year-old crypto holder at gunpoint, stealing a hard drive containing private keys to approximately $3.5 million worth of Bitcoin. The related charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. (Decrypt)