Prosecutors have charged a former Los Angeles police officer in a kidnapping for ransom that occurred when he was still an active reserve officer.
The December incident, which authorities said involved the former officer and three other men, began with a Koreatown home invasion. Eric Halem and another man are accused of then kidnapping a man and forcing him to turn over $200,000 in cryptocurrency.
Halem, 37, was arrested Thursday afternoon by members of the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division and held without bail. Halem served about 13 years as an officer before becoming a reserve officer. In addition to kidnapping for ransom, which carries a potential life sentence, he is charged with a separate count of kidnapping, along with four counts of robbery in connection with the home invasion.
“Whether you once wore a badge and served in law enforcement or not, if you take part in violent crimes, you will be held fully accountable,” Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement.
On Dec. 28, 2024, at about 2:30 a.m., Halem and L.A. resident Mishael Mann, 20, allegedly entered an apartment in Koreatown, where they handcuffed two victims, transferred money from a victim’s cryptocurrency account and stole cash and jewelry before fleeing, prosecutors say. Luis Banuelos, 28, of Jurupa Valley and 26-year-old Pierre Louis of Attleboro, Mass., are accused of waiting outside the apartment to serve as getaway drivers, according to prosecutors.
Halem and Mann both pleaded not guilty at their arraignment Monday. Banuelos and Louis pleaded not guilty at a June 11 arraignment. A preliminary hearing for all four defendants is scheduled for Sept. 24 in downtown Los Angeles.
Halem, of Porter Ranch, and Mann are being held without bail; the other two are being held in lieu of $1.3 million bail. LAPD investigators arrested the alleged getaway drivers in May.
After Halem’s arrest, LAPD investigators obtained warrants for the search of his home and said they recovered several firearms he owned.
In an unattributed statement sent Friday afternoon in response to questions from The Times, the LAPD confirmed Halem’s arrest but said it was “not related to the department’s investigation into residential burglaries in the west valley.”
Halem opted to join the department’s reserve officer program in 2022, where he remained until March, after he was charged in February in a separate case involving alleged insurance fraud. Halem was stripped of his reserve police powers after the criminal case against him was announced.
During his LAPD career, Halem worked on the side as a security consultant and also rented out luxury cars to music artists and celebrities.
In 2019, he was hired to provide security for Randall Emmett, an action movie producer. Emmett was the subject of a 2022 Times investigation and subsequent Hulu documentary that surfaced allegations of abuse against women and assistants as well as mistreatment of business partners. Emmett has denied the allegations.
Around the same time, Halem landed small roles in TV shows including “Vanderpump Rules” and “Midnight in the Switchgrass.”
Earlier this year, he and his brother were charged with insurance fraud over what prosecutors alleged was an elaborate scheme related to a Bentley crash in January 2023.
Eric Halem ran the Kaypr and Drive L.A. car rental companies, which boasted a fleet of rare luxury vehicles, including a 2020 Bentley Continental GT and a neon green Lamborghini Urus.
Prosecutors allege Halem told his insurance company that his brother borrowed the Bentley and crashed it on Jan. 5, 2023.
But a police investigation found that the Bentley had been rented by a Drive L.A. client who wrecked it three days prior. After the rental driver’s insurance claim was denied because of a lack of proper coverage, Eric Halem filed a fraudulent claim for more than $200,000 with his insurance company on his personal policy, misrepresenting details of the accident, authorities allege.
Halem has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of insurance fraud. His brother Jacob Halem, 32, also pleaded not guilty to a count of insurance fraud.
Court records show that LAPD internal affairs investigators were looking into similar allegations against Halem near the end of his department career.
