Latest news with #EricHalem
CBS News
11 hours ago
- CBS News
Former LAPD officer arrested for kidnapping while being investigated for insurance fraud
A former Los Angeles Police Department officers was arrested on kidnapping allegations just months after he was previously arrested 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.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ex-LAPD officer arrested on suspicion of 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 that he 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 case 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.' 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 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 to World War II, and today reserves number in the 300s, and its membership over the years has included not only onetime 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. 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.
Los Angeles Times
21 hours 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.
CBS News
31-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
LAPD reserve officer and his brother arrested for insurance fraud
A reserve officer from the Los Angeles Police Department and his brother face insurance fraud charges after they allegedly staged photos of a crash for a false claim. The alleged scheme started on Jan. 2, 2023, after a customer of reserve officer Eric "Ben" Halem's exotic rental company crashed a Bentley Continental GT. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to the collision and used their body cameras to document the damage before impounding the luxury car. The renter filed a claim with their insurance provider, but it was denied, according to the California Department of Insurance. After learning about the denial, Eric Halem allegedly filed a claim under his personal policy and told adjusters that his brother Jacob Halem had crashed the Bentley on Jan. 5, 2023. Former LAPD officer and current reserve officer Eric "Ben" Halem, 37, was charged with insurance fraud after allegedly staging photos of a crash. CA Department of Insurance Investigators said the brothers staged photos of the damaged luxury car on a tow truck near the alleged crash site. The Department of Insurance added that Jacob Halem allegedly filed a false statement with investigators. After receiving the claim, the provider realized that Eric Halem had contacted them twice to obtain proof of insurance to release the damaged Bentley from the impound lot. They compared the deputies' bodycam footage to the Halem brothers' photos and determined the damage to the luxury car was identical, according to the Department of Insurance.
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.
