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DB-cleanup/merge-output/sources/363_Daniel-17-y-o-and-his-girlfriend.txt
T
StellarCrowandClaude Fable 5.1 499fd61f79 feat(sources): fetch linked URLs for the 252 spreadsheet-only cases 
Until now only cases 357+ (plus a few older ones) had their linked URLs
fetched; the other 252 dossiers held just the text pasted into the
spreadsheet, often only the lede. This pass fetches every linked URL for
those cases so the full text is on file before link rot takes it.

- stage_all.py: new --include-sheet-cases flag that lifts the skip on
  cases holding spreadsheet articles. Resumable as before.
- staging/: raw extracts and index.json for the 252 cases.
- sourced-articles.json, case-files-manifest.json: 188 new UNTRIMMED
  blocks. 179 cases gained at least one fetched article; 73 got none
  (49 BLOCKED, 18 THIN, 9 DEAD, 4 video/social, 3 ERROR).
- sources/*.txt: rebuilt with build_cases.py --all. Sheet pastes are
  kept; fetched blocks sit beside them under the NOT YET TRIMMED banner.
  Files previously committed with CRLF are now LF.
- wayback-availability.json: Wayback snapshots exist for 73 of the 98
  failed URL slots; input for an archive-fetch pass.
- README-START-HERE.md: progress note and next step.

verify_all.py PASSES (1836 checks).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5.1 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01GZZENdTLzNGsbNy4DyF1yt
2026-09-05 15:02:39 +02:00

263 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
Raw Blame History

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CASE 363 | Daniel, (17 y/o) and his girlfriend | December 28, 2024 | USA
================================================================================================
DATABASE RECORD
id 363
date December 28, 2024
original_date December 28, 2024
year 2024
month 12
quarter 2024-Q4
victim Daniel, (17 y/o) and his girlfriend
location Los Angeles, California
country USA
scenario Home Invasion
description LAPD officer & man tied to Israeli mob commit home invasion, robs $350,000 in cryptocurrency. Victim tried to show them an empty wallet at first but they were not convinced and threatened to waterboard him.
kidnappings 1
violence_torture (null)
drugs_alcohol 0
weapons (null)
theft 1
life_taken 0
money_wanted $350,000 in crypto
coin_type Cryptocurrency, cash and jewelry
reports District Attorney, County of LA
notes The former officer and another man entered the apartment, handcuffed two victims, transferred money from the victims’ cryptocurrency account, and stole cash and jewelry before fleeing with the other 2 men waiting outside
has_processed_date 0
created_at 2025-12-04 16:33:05
AI SUMMARY [generated at bulk import, NOT verified against sources]
**Victim:** Daniel, (17 y/o) and his girlfriend
**Attackers:** 6-man crew. Eric Benjamin Halem, 38, former LAPD officer (13 years service, left 2022, still reserve officer at time of crime). Gabby Ben, 51, alleged Israeli mafia ties, twice convicted of fraud, twice deported to Israel, ran healthcare/assisted living facilities. Four other accomplices: 2 arrested (names not disclosed), 2 at large including "sixth suspect" described as "most dangerous" member.
**Attack Method:** Claimed to be executing search warrant. Used access code to enter building, took elevator to 18th floor, entered apartment. Restrained girlfriend first with LAPD-issued handcuffs. When Daniel arrived/was subdued, handcuffed him and made death threats.
**Violence Used:** Threats/intimidation
**Crypto Stolen:** $350,000 in crypto
**Status:** Halem convicted March 2, 2026 of kidnapping and robbery. Sentencing scheduled March 31, 2026. Charges carry potential life sentence in state prison. Banuelos, Louis, and Mann also charged. Each faces life in state prison if convicted. Sixth suspect unidentified, still at large. LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division is investigating.
LINKED SOURCES
[url] https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/former-lapd-officer-three-others-charged-kidnapping-ransom-armed-robbery
[url_2] https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/lapd-israeli-gangster-stole-teen-cryptowallet-b2870557.html
[url_3] https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-02/former-lapd-officer-guilty-crypto-home-invasion-robbery
[url_4] https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/bitcoin/former-lapd-officer-convicted-in-violent-350k-bitcoin-heist/
[url_5] https://decrypt.co/359818/ex-lapd-officer-found-guilty-350k-wrench-attack-bitcoin
OTHER LINKED SOURCES
[BLOCKED] url_4 None — raw request refused; try the WebFetch path, which is a model transcription and must be labelled as such
https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/bitcoin/former-lapd-officer-convicted-in-violent-350k-bitcoin-heist/
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FETCHED ARTICLE 1
Source da.lacounty.gov
URL https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/former-lapd-officer-three-others-charged-kidnapping-ransom-armed-robbery
Field url
Retrieved 2026-08-06T13:46:34+00:00 via raw HTTP retrieval, deterministic extraction (HTTP 200)
Language unknown
Kept paragraphs headline [0] + 5-13 of 16
Length 2,461 chars
Integrity sha256 e90decf8fea3fc9f85824f6bf4bcdd79ec40acbff72c19918d3788ea949be0fe
Trimmed trimmed on read-through
Caveat retrieved from a live page on the date above. Unlike text copied
from the spreadsheet, there is no second copy to hash it against.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ORIGINAL (unknown, verbatim as retrieved)
Former LAPD Officer, Three Others Charged in Kidnapping for Ransom, Armed Robbery | Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
LOS ANGELES – Felony charges have been filed against a former Los Angeles police officer and three other men in connection with a violent home invasion and kidnapping for ransom in Koreatown last December.
“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 District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “This office will pursue justice for victims without fear or favor. We will prosecute those who use violence and intimidation to profit from the suffering of others and ensure they answer for their criminal actions.”
Former Los Angeles Police Department Officer Eric Halem (dob 11/7/1987) of Porter Ranch was charged in case 25CJCF02967 with kidnapping for ransom, first-degree residential robbery, and home invasion robbery in concert. He is being held on no bail.
Also charged in the case are Luis Banuelos (dob 5/25/97) of Jurupa Valley in Riverside County, Pierre Louis (dob 12/8/98) of Attleboro, Mass. and Mishael Mann (dob 7/31/05) of Los Angeles. Each co-defendant faces counts of kidnapping for ransom, first-degree residential robbery, and home invasion robbery in concert. Mann is being held on no bail, and Louis and Banuelos are each being held on $1.3 million bail.
Halem and Mann both pleaded not guilty during their arraignment today. Banuelos and Louis pleaded not guilty during their arraignment on June 11. Preliminary hearing setting for all four defendants is scheduled for Sept. 24 in Department 37 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
On Dec. 28, 2024, at approximately 2:30 a.m., Halem and Mann allegedly entered an apartment in Koreatown, where they handcuffed two victims, transferred money from the victims’ cryptocurrency account, and stole cash and jewelry before fleeing. Banuelos and Louis are accused of serving as getaway drivers who waited outside the location.
If convicted as charged, all four defendants face life in state prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Jane Brownstone of the Organized Crime Division and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division.
The charges filed in this case are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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FETCHED ARTICLE 2
Source the-independent.com
URL https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/lapd-israeli-gangster-stole-teen-cryptowallet-b2870557.html
Field url_2
Retrieved 2026-08-06T13:46:36+00:00 via raw HTTP retrieval, deterministic extraction (HTTP 200)
Language unknown
Kept paragraphs headline [0] + 1-18 of 20
Length 3,569 chars
Integrity sha256 58949588ea9db8d2e3854ec0036b1d2052cb6349d17f986ff51fb58c18e62929
Trimmed trimmed on read-through
Caveat retrieved from a live page on the date above. Unlike text copied
from the spreadsheet, there is no second copy to hash it against.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ORIGINAL (unknown, verbatim as retrieved)
Ex-LAPD cop and Israeli gangster raided teenage boy’s home to steal his $350k crypto wallet, prosecutors say | The Independent
A felon with alleged ties to the Israeli mob and a former Los Angeles Police Department officer have been charged over the kidnapping of an LA teenager flush with cryptocurrency.
On Friday, Deputy District Attorney Jane Brownstone provided details about the kidnapping and the arrests of Gabby Ben and former LAPD officer Eric Halem.
Both of the men have pleaded not guilty to their charges, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Ben, 51, has been convicted of fraud twice and he been deported to Israel, according to court documents. Brownstone claimed during a hearing that Ben has "ties to the Israeli mafia."
Halem, 38, is a 13-year LAPD veteran. He left the force in 2022, and was reportedly considering developing a reality tv show about his career, former associates told the LA Times.
Ben, Halem, and four other men allegedly drove to a luxury high-rise apartment in LA’s Koreatown last December to attempt to abduct a teenager who operated a cryptocurrency business. Once they gained access to the teen's apartment, they found that he was not home, but his girlfriend was. They allegedly found her hiding in a closet and restrained her with LAPD-issued handcuffs.
“Everyone was armed,” Brownstone said. “They claimed they were from the Los Angeles Police Department and they were executing a search warrant.”
According to Brownstone, the kidnappers waited for the teen to return home. Once he did, they handcuffed him as well and demanded he open his crypto wallet on his devices to allow them to steal his money. The teen reportedly tried to bluff his way out of the situation by giving them access to an empty wallet.
The kidnappers allegedly threatened to shoot the teen in the foot and waterboard him in his shower if he did not comply with their demands. The teen finally relented and gave them access to a safe that contained a cryptowallet stored on a thumb drive. The wallet held $350,000 in crypto.
Surveillance video reviewed by police is said to have showed Ben, Halem, and the other alleged kidnappers leaving the apartment approximately 25 minutes after they entered.
Megan Maitia, an attorney representing Halem, questioned the prosecution's version of events. She doubted that a 17-year-old could have accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency.
“How does a 17-year-old do this?” she asked.
She further insisted that Halem did not threaten the teen, but instead an unidentified sixth member of the kidnapping crew who "everyone thought was the most dangerous."
Maitia said Halem was afraid that if he was convicted he'd be killed in prison because he was a police officer.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Victoria Wilson said she would order the LA County Sheriff's Office to protect Halem while he is locked up and awaiting trial. He was not granted bail.
Ben's attorney, Kellen Davis, said that he operated legitimate assisting living facilities for years, and said he should be granted bail as he always complied with court orders connected to the "limited record he does have."
That record includes opening bank accounts for the express purposes of fraud, and defrauding elderly people by pretending to be an HVAC technician, entering their homes, and photographing their license plates and bank statements.
Ben was also denied bail. Wilson said she believed that he and Halem could cause "great bodily harm to others" if they were allowed to bond out of police custody.
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FETCHED ARTICLE 3
Source latimes.com
URL https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-02/former-lapd-officer-guilty-crypto-home-invasion-robbery
Field url_3
Retrieved 2026-08-06T13:46:38+00:00 via raw HTTP retrieval, deterministic extraction (HTTP 200)
Language unknown
Kept paragraphs headline [0] + 7-31 of 53
Length 4,536 chars
Integrity sha256 e531850fe8334e513ac681d25b15d0fb5256848323193b7faaaaf608ae554f1a
Trimmed trimmed on read-through
Caveat retrieved from a live page on the date above. Unlike text copied
from the spreadsheet, there is no second copy to hash it against.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ORIGINAL (unknown, verbatim as retrieved)
Ex-LAPD officer found guilty of crypto-related home invasion robbery - Los Angeles Times
His co-defendants have yet to stand trial, including one who prosecutors allege is affiliated with the “Israeli mafia.”
A former Los Angeles Police Department officer was convicted Monday of taking $350,000 worth of cryptocurrency from a 17-year-old in a 2024 home invasion robbery.
Witnesses in the two-week trial described how Eric Halem and three other men posed as police serving a search warrant to enter a high-rise apartment in Koreatown rented by a teenager who had amassed a small fortune in crypto.
Prosecutors said the 17-year-old — sworn in to testify under just his first name, Daniel — gave up a hard drive containing bitcoin after Halem and his alleged accomplices threatened to kill him.
After deliberating for less than a full day, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury found Halem guilty of kidnapping and robbery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31.
From Lamborghinis to jail: Ex-LAPD cop accused of crypto heist with reputed Israeli mob figure
The former officer, Eric Halem, was already under investigation over allegations that he ran an insurance fraud scheme.
Halem, 38, who appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit, served 13 years in the LAPD. By the time he left the department in 2022, he had developed lucrative side businesses, including renting luxury cars and launching an app that allowed actors to audition remotely. He was also flirting with the idea of developing a reality show about his life, former associates told The Times.
At the time of the robbery, he was still serving as a reserve officer with the department.
In her closing argument last week, Deputy Dist. Atty. Jane Brownstone told jurors that Halem broke the oath he took as a police officer. “Instead of protecting, he preyed on the community,” she said. “Instead of serving, he schemed.”
According to trial testimony and evidence, Halem and his alleged accomplices drove to Koreatown in a green Range Rover and an orange Lamborghini Urus owned by the former officer’s car rental business, DriveLA.
Wearing vests that identified them as police, they took the elevator to the 18th floor and punched in the access code to the teenager’s apartment, which they’d obtained from a conspirator who’d rented the unit to the 17-year-old.
After restraining the teenager’s girlfriend with LAPD-issued handcuffs, the men subdued the 17-year-old, cuffed him and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t give up his hard drive, the two victims testified.
In her closing remarks, Halem’s attorney Megan Maitia blasted the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division and the district attorney’s office for what she called a “lazy, careless investigation.”
Investigators cherry-picked from terabytes of data a handful of text messages that they showed to jurors, she said.
Brownstone pointed jurors to a series of text messages that Halem sent and received after the robbery.
In one, Halem said he was monitoring police radio traffic. And after detectives arrested two of his alleged accomplices, Halem wrote in another text message that he knew they were “talking.”
“Someone I know fed wise called me,” he wrote in the message, without elaborating.
Maitia said detectives hadn’t corroborated the story of the 17-year-old victim, who admitted on the witness stand obtaining his crypto fortune through fraud, and simply took him at his word when he said he’d been robbed of $350,000 in bitcoin.
She also scoffed at the prosecution’s suggestion that the robbery crew was well organized. If Halem had been involved, she questioned, why had he used cars from his own company, which were equipped with GPS trackers.
“This is not a sophisticated case,” she said. “This is a dumb case. These guys are knuckleheads.”
Ex-LAPD officer staged police raid in $350,000 crypto heist, prosecutor says
A former LAPD officer and an alleged ‘Israeli mafia’ figure posed as police when they entered a teenager’s apartment, handcuffed him and threatened to waterboard him if he didn’t surrender $350,000 in cryptocurrency, a prosecutor said in court Friday.
Halem’s lawyers called no witnesses and the former officer didn’t testify in his own defense.
His co-defendants have yet to stand trial and maintain their innocence. One, Gabby Ben, has twice been convicted of fraud and is alleged to have ties to Israeli organized crime. At a bail hearing in November, Ben, 51, shrugged and shook his head when Brownstone said he was affiliated with the “Israeli mafia.”
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FETCHED ARTICLE 4
Source decrypt.co
URL https://decrypt.co/359818/ex-lapd-officer-found-guilty-350k-wrench-attack-bitcoin
Field url_5
Retrieved 2026-08-06T13:46:39+00:00 via raw HTTP retrieval, deterministic extraction (HTTP 200)
Language unknown
Kept paragraphs headline [0] + 1-13 of 17
Length 2,434 chars
Integrity sha256 6932b90feeab97b66e1e6ca2de37154ea76740619ef2b5e0cf10e8428235d29e
Trimmed dropped an other-case roundup line and a generic recommendation tail
Caveat retrieved from a live page on the date above. Unlike text copied
from the spreadsheet, there is no second copy to hash it against.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ORIGINAL (unknown, verbatim as retrieved)
Ex-LAPD Officer Found Guilty of $350K ‘Wrench Attack’ Bitcoin Robbery - Decrypt
A former LAPD officer has been found guilty of kidnapping and robbery after a home invasion in which he held a teenage crypto owner at gunpoint.
Eric Halem and his alleged associates stole a hard drive containing $350.000 worth of Bitcoin from the victim.
The crime is the latest in a series of "$5 wrench attacks" that have soared by 75% year-on-year, according to a recent study.
A former LAPD officer has been convicted over a “$5 wrench attack” after stealing $350,000 in cryptocurrency from a 17-year-old during a home invasion in 2024.
A Los Angeles Superior Court jury found Eric Halem, 38, guilty of kidnapping and robbery, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.
Halem was charged in December 2024 with kidnapping for ransom, first-degree residential robbery, and home invasion robbery, after he and his alleged accomplices entered an apartment in Koreatown, handcuffing two victims and transferring money from their cryptocurrency account. According to a press release published by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the charges carry a life sentence in state prison.
Per the LA Times, Halem and his alleged accomplices posed as police in order to gain entry to the victim’s high-rise apartment, before restraining him and his girlfriend and threatening to shoot him if he refused to give up a hard drive containing his Bitcoin keys.
The victim, who testified under his first name, Daniel, admitted on the stand to having obtained his crypto holdings through fraud.
Halem’s attorney, Megan Maitia, described her client and his alleged associates as “knuckleheads,” questioning why they had, per trial testimony, driven to the scene of the crime in a green Range Rover and an orange Lamborghini Urus owned by his car rental company and equipped with GPS trackers.
In text messages shared after the robbery, Halem said he was monitoring police traffic and that “Someone I know fed wise called me.”
Halem’s co-defendants have yet to stand trial and maintain their innocence.
The case is the latest example of a “$5 wrench attack,” in which victims are coerced into giving up access to their crypto through physical violence and threats.
According to a February 2026 study by blockchain security firm CertiK, physical attacks on crypto holders soared by 75% in 2025, with confirmed losses topping $40.9 million.
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generated from attacks-export-Gart-website.json + reported_K&R | case 363
================================================================================================
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