Former LAPD officer arrested for kidnapping while being investigated for insurance fraud
Eric "Ben" Halem was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of kidnapping for ransom, LAPD officials confirmed with CBS News Los Angeles. They did not provide additional details on the allegations.
Halem most recently served with the department as a reserve officer, but also worked as a sworn officer in the past. He is currently being held without bail.
He was arrested in March for allegedly staging photos of a crash to file a phony insurance claim. He and his brother, Jacob, are accused of creating a fake crash site after a customer of his luxury car rental service crashed a Bentley Continental GT in Jan. of 2023, police said in May.
After his initial insurance claim was denied, Halem then filed a claim under his personal insurance and allegedly said that his brother crashed the car three days after the first crash occurred. Investigators say that the duo staged the car on a tow truck and provided false statements to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies who were dispatched to the scene of the alleged fake crash.
Halem was released from custody at that time after posting bond.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined to comment on the matter.
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