LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles Police Department reserve officer, Eric “Ben” Halem, and his brother, Jacob Halem, have been arrested on charges of insurance fraud after allegedly staging photos to support a false insurance claim.
The incident traces back to January 2, 2023, when a customer renting an exotic car from Eric Halem’s rental business crashed a Bentley Continental GT. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded, using body cameras to record the damage before impounding the luxury vehicle.
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The renter filed an insurance claim, but it was denied by the insurer, according to the California Department of Insurance.
Following this denial, Eric Halem reportedly filed a separate claim under his personal insurance policy, falsely stating that his brother Jacob had crashed the Bentley on January 5, 2023. Investigators say the Halem brothers staged photos of the damaged Bentley on a tow truck near the alleged crash site to support the claim. Jacob Halem is also accused of submitting a false statement to investigators.
The insurance company compared the staged photos to the deputies’ bodycam footage and found that the damage shown was identical, exposing the alleged fraud.
The case remains under investigation, and both brothers face formal charges.
