Latest news with #DriveLA
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Ex-LAPD officer arrested for alleged home burglaries in area he once patrolled
A former Los Angeles police officer has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a series of burglaries in San Fernando Valley neighborhoods used to patrol, according to department sources and jail records. Eric Halem, 37, was arrested Thursday afternoon by members of the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division and is being held without bail, according to online jail records. He is set to be arraigned on Monday. It's unclear whether he has retained a defense attorney. Details about the alleged crimes are murky, but several department sources — who requested anonymity to discuss the open case — said he was suspected of links to home invasions that occurred in the West Valley Division, where Halem worked until several years ago. The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The West Valley includes Encino, an affluent area that has been on edge following a series of home break-ins, including one that caused the deaths of 'American Idol' music supervisor Robin Kaye and her rock musician husband, Tom DeLuca. That incident rekindled concerns about safety in the area and led the LAPD to step up patrols. A suspect with a history of mental illness has been charged with the couple's murders. Halem resigned from the LAPD and opted to join the department's reserve officer program in 2024, where he remained until this March when he was charged with insurance fraud. During his LAPD career, he made a name for himself with side businesses as a security consultant and by renting out luxury cars to music artists and celebrities. In 2019, he was hired to provide security for Randall Emmett, an action move 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 assistants and business partners. Emmett has denied the allegations. Around the same time, Halem landed small roles in TV shows like 'Vanderpump Rules' and 'Midnight in the Switchgrass.' But earlier this year he and his brother were charged with insurance fraud over what prosecutors alleged was an elaborate insurance fraud scheme related to a Bentley crash in January 2023. Court records show that LAPD internal affairs investigators were looking into similar allegations against Halem near the end of his department career. Halem has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of insurance fraud on Friday. His brother Jacob Halem, 32, also pleaded not guilty to a count of insurance fraud. Eric Halem ran several car rental companies, Kaypr and Drive LA, which boasted a fleet of rare, luxury vehicles, including a 2020 Bentley Continental GT and a neon green Lamborghini Urus. Prosecutors allege Halem told told his insurance company that his brother had borrowed the Bentley and crashed it on Jan. 5, 2023. But police investigation revealed that the Bentley had been rented by a Drive LA 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 was stripped of his reserve police powers in March after the criminal case against him was announced. The LAPD reserve program that Halem was part of dates back to World War II, and today reserves number in the 300s, and its membership over the years has included not only one-time cops, but also ER doctors and a former City Council member. Reserve officers are qualified to carry guns, make arrests, take reports — basically able to execute most traditional police duties, but they aren't paid. A department roster shows that he joined the force in February 2009. Times staff writer contributed to this report.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former LAPD reserve officer and his brother charged with insurance fraud over Bentley crash
A former Los Angeles Police Department reserve officer and his brother have been charged with insurance fraud after prosecutors say they misrepresented details in a more than $200,000 insurance claim related to a Bentley crash in January 2023. Eric Benjamin 'Ben' Halem, 37, a former full-time LAPD officer and ex-reserve officer, pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of insurance fraud on Friday. His brother Jacob Halem, 32, also pleaded not guilty to a count of insurance fraud, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Eric Halem's car rental company, Drive LA, boasts a fleet of rare, luxury vehicles, including a 2020 Bentley Continental GT. The California Department of Insurance said in a news release on Friday that Eric Halem told his insurance company that his brother had borrowed the vehicle and crashed it on Jan. 5, 2023. Read more: They said a bear attacked their Rolls Royce. But the real culprit was even stranger But the department's investigation revealed that the Bentley had been rented by a Drive LA client and that the renter crashed the vehicle three days before the brothers claimed Jacob crashed it. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies responded to the accident scene involving the rental driver and documented the vehicle's damage with body camera footage, the insurance department said in its release. After the rental driver's insurance claim was denied because of a lack of proper coverage, Eric Halem filed a fraudulent claim with his insurance company on his personal policy, misrepresenting details of the accident, authorities allege. An attorney representing Jacob Halem did not immediately return a request for comment. It is not clear if Eric Halem has an attorney. Read more: A smashed Polaris Slingshot, friends inside the CHP. How investigators unraveled an insurance plot The department of insurance alleges that Eric Halem claimed his brother had been driving the vehicle at the time of the crash, which they said was on Jan. 5, 2023. They submitted what the department called 'staged photographs' of the damaged Bentley on a tow truck. Insurance department investigators said the damage in the photos the brothers submitted was identical to the damage captured on body camera footage from the renter's crash three days earlier. Authorities allege Jacob Halem provided a false statement to the insurance company investigator to corroborate his brother's claim. It isn't clear if the insurance company paid for the car to be fixed. The department of insurance said the "total potential loss" from the claim was $229,283. Eric Halem was removed as a reserve officer with LAPD in March, according to a department spokesperson. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LAPD reserve officer, brother charged with insurance fraud in Bentley crash
A reserve Los Angeles Police Department officer and his brother are facing felony charges after they allegedly committed insurance fraud with a Bentley convertible. Eric Benjamin Halem, 37, and his 32-year-old brother Jacob Halem were investigated by the California Department of Insurance, the agency said in a news release. The elder Halem, who serves as a reserve officer for the LAPD but was formerly a full-time officer, is accused of falsely reporting a crash involving a 2020 Bentley Continental GT, officials said. According to CDI officials, Benjamin Halem claimed his brother Jacob was the one driving the luxury vehicle when it was involved in a single-vehicle crash on Jan. 5, 2023. The Bentley, however, had been rented out through Ben Halem's company, Drive LA, which offers exotic car rentals and other services. Drive LA's website shows a Bentley Continental GTC available to be rented for $875 per day. It was during a rental period three days before the reported crash that the damage was actually done, CDI said, and it was the unnamed renter, not Jacob Halem, who was driving at the time. After the driver's insurance claim was denied by their company, Ben Halem 'allegedly filed a fraudulent claim with his insurance company on his personal policy, misrepresenting the accident details,' the release explained. 'He claimed that his brother, Jacob Halem, had been driving the vehicle at the time of the crash. To support their false claim, Eric and Jacob Halem submitted staged photographs of the damaged Bentley on a tow truck near the alleged accident location,' CDI said. Jacob Halem also 'provided a false statement to the insurance company investigator in an effort to corroborate his brother's fraudulent claim,' officials said. Their attempt was unsuccessful, however, as insurance adjusters used body-camera footage from Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies responding to the real crash to demonstrate that the damage to the vehicle was done in the renter's crash on Jan. 2, 2023, not three days later. State officials said the fraud could have cost the insurance company more than $229,000. 'Insurance fraud impacts all Californians by driving up costs for consumers and businesses,' CDI said. 'If you suspect insurance fraud, report it to the California Department of Insurance at 800-927-4357 or visit Jail records show Ben Halem was arrested on March 27 and is free on $50,000 bond. Jacob Halem did not appear in a search of the records. The two men have been arraigned, CDI said, but no court information was available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
30-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Former LAPD reserve officer and his brother charged with insurance fraud over Bentley crash
A former Los Angeles Police Department reserve officer and his brother have been charged with insurance fraud after prosecutors say they misrepresented details in a more than $200,000 insurance claim related to a Bentley crash in January 2023. Eric Benjamin 'Ben' Halem, 37, a former full-time LAPD officer and ex-reserve officer, pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of insurance fraud on Friday. His brother Jacob Halem, 32, also pleaded not guilty to a count of insurance fraud, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Eric Halem's car rental company, Drive LA, boasts a fleet of rare, luxury vehicles, including a 2020 Bentley Continental GT. The California Department of Insurance said in a news release on Friday that Eric Halem told his insurance company that his brother had borrowed the vehicle and crashed it on Jan. 5, 2023. But the department's investigation revealed that the Bentley had been rented by a Drive LA client and that the renter crashed the vehicle three days before the brothers claimed Jacob crashed it. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies responded to the accident scene involving the rental driver and documented the vehicle's damage with body camera footage, the insurance department said in its release. After the rental driver's insurance claim was denied because of a lack of proper coverage, Eric Halem filed a fraudulent claim with his insurance company on his personal policy, misrepresenting details of the accident, authorities allege. An attorney representing Jacob Halem did not immediately return a request for comment. It is not clear if Eric Halem has an attorney. The department of insurance alleges that Eric Halem claimed his brother had been driving the vehicle at the time of the crash, which they said was on Jan. 5, 2023. They submitted what the department called 'staged photographs' of the damaged Bentley on a tow truck. Insurance department investigators said the damage in the photos the brothers submitted was identical to the damage captured on body camera footage from the renter's crash three days earlier. Authorities allege Jacob Halem provided a false statement to the insurance company investigator to corroborate his brother's claim. It isn't clear if the insurance company paid for the car to be fixed. The department of insurance said the 'total potential loss' from the claim was $229,283. Eric Halem was removed as a reserve officer with LAPD in March, according to a department spokesperson.
