OJ Simpson is Arrested in Las Vegas

OJ Simpson Held Without Bail

OJ Simpson is released on Bail

OJ Simpson Not Welcome At The Palms

Preliminary Hearing Set for OJ Simpson

OJ Simpson News

Current OJ Simpson Arrest News

New Charges Filed in O.J. Simpson Case

By KEN RITTER

(AP) Charles Cashmore, a defendant in the O.J. Simpson armed robbery case, talks to a judge as his...
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LAS VEGAS (AP) - New charges of felony coercion were filed Wednesday against O.J. Simpson and three co-defendants in the alleged armed robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers.

The revised complaint also drops charges against Walter Alexander and Charles Cashmore, who pleaded guilty Tuesday to reduced charges.

Alexander, Simpson's golfing buddy, and Cashmore, at times a day laborer, disc jockey and bartender, have agreed to testify at a preliminary hearing against the former football star and the other men who went to a Las Vegas casino hotel room on Sept. 13 to retrieve items that Simpson said belonged to him.

The memorabilia taken from the hotel room included football game balls signed by Simpson, Joe Montana lithographs, baseballs autographed by Pete Rose and Duke Snider, photos of Simpson with the Heisman Trophy, and framed awards and plaques, together valued at as much as $100,000, according to police reports.

The revised complaint increases to 12 the number of charges against Simpson, Clarence Stewart, Michael McClinton and Charles Ehrlich. The four are to appear for the preliminary hearing Nov. 8 on felonies - including kidnapping, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy and coercion - and one gross misdemeanor, conspiracy to commit a crime. A kidnapping conviction alone could result in a sentence of life in prison with parole.

The new coercion charges allege that the men threatened collectibles dealer Bruce Fromong and took his cell phone, while taking a baseball cap and sunglasses at gunpoint from memorabilia dealer Alfred Beardsley.

Conviction on felony coercion carries a sentence of up to six years in prison.

Ehrlich's lawyer, John Moran Jr., complained Wednesday that the revised complaint contained wholesale changes in prosecutors' theories of the crimes and was filed so late it put defense lawyers at a disadvantage.

"It violates due process and fair play for us, this far down the road with the preliminary hearing set," Moran said.

Simpson's lawyer, Yale Galanter, said his client "is not guilty and we continue to say he is not guilty of any crime." Galanter added that he looked forward to cross-examining Alexander and Cashmore.

Stewart's lawyer, Jose Pallares, denied allegations in the revised complaint that Simpson and Stewart conspired to persuade the others to tell authorities that no guns were used in the confrontation.

According to their lawyers and police reports, Alexander and Cashmore can testify that guns were brought to the Palace Station casino hotel room. Simpson, who lives in Miami, has maintained no guns were involved and he did not tell anyone to bring guns.

The complaint names Thomas Riccio, who is not charged in the case, and describes the role the California collectibles broker played in arranging the meeting between Simpson, Fromong and Beardsley.

Riccio's lawyer, Ryan Okabe of Redondo Beach, Calif., said Clark County District Attorney David Roger has promised Riccio immunity from prosecution. Riccio also has provided authorities with an audio tape he said he recorded during the encounter.

Riccio, Cashmore and Alexander are expected to be key witnesses for the prosecution at the preliminary hearing, when Justice of the Peace Joe M. Bonaventure will decide whether there is enough evidence to send the case to trial in state court.

Alexander pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony conspiracy to commit robbery, and Roger said he would seek a suspended sentence, which could get Alexander probation instead of one to six years in prison.

Cashmore pleaded guilty to felony accessory to robbery. He could get probation or up to one to five years in prison at sentencing, according to his agreement with the district attorney.

Sentencing for both men will come after an April 15 status check.

Cashmore to testify that guns were used in O.J. confrontation

LAS VEGAS -- A second co-defendant in the O.J. Simpson armed robbery case said Monday that he will plead guilty to a reduced charge and testify against Simpson and three others in the alleged hotel room theft of sports collectibles from two memorabilia dealers.

Walter Alexander, 46, of Mesa, Ariz., told a judge he will plead guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, a felony. He could face between one and six years in prison.

Outside the courtroom, Alexander and his lawyers declined to say what testimony he will provide.

Earlier Monday, Charles Cashmore, 40, of Las Vegas, told the same judge that he would plead guilty to a felony and testify for the prosecution.

The plea agreements up the ante in the prosecution of Simpson. Cashmore can testify that guns were involved in the Sept. 13 confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas casino hotel room, his lawyer said.

"He can establish who was in the room, what was said, who had guns, who didn't have guns, potentially who may have seen guns, who didn't see guns," attorney Edward Miley said outside court. "I think he wishes he would have never met O.J."

Simpson and his lawyers have denied guns were in the room at the Palace Station hotel-casino. His lawyers did not respond Monday to requests for comment.

Both Alexander and Cashmore waived their preliminary hearings. Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure Jr., set both men's arraignments for Oct. 23.

Cashmore faces up to five years in prison.

"In District Court, he'll be pleading guilty to accessory to robbery," Clark County District Attorney David Roger told Bonaventure. "He's agreed to provide truthful testimony."

Outside court, Cashmore said he thought he'd done the right thing, but declined additional comment.

Cashmore was initially arraigned on nine felonies and a gross misdemeanor, charges that included kidnapping, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy. A kidnapping conviction alone could have resulted in a sentence of life in prison with parole.

Simpson and the others, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, Michael McClinton, and Charles Ehrlich, are due in court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 8 and 9. Bonaventure will decide then whether there is enough evidence to send the case to trial in state court.

If asked, Cashmore will testify if asked at the preliminary hearing that Alexander and McClinton were armed when they entered the room with Simpson, Miley said.

Simpson claims at least some of the items taken from collectors Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong belonged to him, and his lawyers have maintained that no guns were used. Simpson and the others are charged with kidnapping, armed robbery, assault, burglary and conspiracy.

Cashmore was introduced to Simpson and most of the others in the group for the first time minutes before the alleged robbery, Miley said.

"He didn't know anyone. He didn't know what was going on," Miley said. "He didn't have a gun."

Cashmore, a journeyman laborer, bartender and disc jockey, surrendered to authorities six days after the encounter, and after police released images from hotel security videotapes showing him carrying a box from the room at the hotel.

Cashmore didn't look at everything in the box, but said some items included lithograph prints of football great Joe Montana, his lawyer said.

Cashmore should have immediately gone to the police and turned over the items he carried out of the room, Miley said. "He should have done something, but he didn't," Miley said.

In 1996, he plea bargained a felony theft charge to a misdemeanor and received probation in an embezzlement case in Utah.

Alexander's lawyer, Robert Dennis Rentzer, declined to say whether Alexander had a gun in the room, but expressed doubt Cashmore could say Alexander was armed.

McClinton's lawyer, Bill Terry, did not respond to requests for comment.

Co-defendant to enter plea, testify against Simpson in robbery case

LAS VEGAS -- A co-defendant in the O.J. Simpson armed robbery case is taking a plea deal and will testify that guns were involved in the theft of sports collectibles from two memorabilia dealers, the man's lawyer said Friday.

Charles Cashmore, 40, of Las Vegas, intends to plead guilty Monday to being an accessory to robbery, a felony that could get him up to five years in prison, Cashmore's lawyer, Edward Miley told The Associated Press.

"He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Miley said of Cashmore, a journeyman laborer, bartender and disc jockey.

A court clerk confirmed that a hearing is scheduled at 7:30 a.m. Monday before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure Jr.

Clark County District Attorney David Roger declined comment.

Simpson and five others, including Cashmore, are charged with kidnapping, armed robbery, assault, burglary and conspiracy in the Sept. 13 encounter in a Las Vegas casino hotel room arranged by a go-between, Thomas Riccio, between Simpson and memorabilia collectors Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong.

Simpson also faces a felony charge of coercion, alleging that he took a cell phone from Fromong.

Cashmore is the only defendant scheduled to appear Monday, a court official said.

Simpson and the others -- Walter Alexander, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, Michael McClinton, and Charles Ehrlich -- are due for a preliminary hearing Nov. 8-9 at which Bonaventure will decide whether there is enough evidence to bind the case over for trial in state court.

Simpson has said he wanted to retrieve personal items that belonged to him, and his lawyers have maintained that no guns were used.

But Miley said Cashmore will testify if asked at the preliminary hearing that Alexander and McClinton, who entered the room with Simpson, were armed. Miley said Cashmore was not armed during the alleged robbery.

"The only people with guns that he knew of were Alexander and McClinton," Miley said, adding that Cashmore's crime was failing to immediately go to police and turn over the items he carried out of the room.

Cashmore surrendered to authorities six days later and turned over the items, after police released images from hotel security videotapes showing him carrying a box from the room.

Lawyers for Simpson, McClinton and most of the others did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Alexander's lawyer, Robert Dennis Rentzer, declined to say whether Alexander had a gun in the room.

"I owe the district attorney an answer to that question before the press," he said. Rentzer said he was scheduled to meet with Roger on Monday, but he expressed doubt Cashmore could say Alexander was armed.

"How can he put a gun in the possession of someone who didn't have a gun out?" Rentzer said.

Miley said Cashmore met Simpson and most of the others in the group for the first time minutes before the alleged robbery.

"O.J. says, 'Hey I've got to move some stuff, can you help?' " Miley said.

PRELIMINARY HEARING SET FOR SIMPSON

A Nov. 8-9 preliminary hearing was scheduled today for former football start O.J. Simpson and his five co-defendants in the Sept. 13 alleged robbery in the Palace Station. Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure Jr. will handle the hearing.

Rhymes for the New O.J. Trial

"If it doesn't fit, you must acquit" is quite possibly the most quoted courtroom line in pop culture history. And if O.J. Simpson stands trial on the litany of charges he's currently facing in Las Vegas, he might need another clever quip to help keep him out of jail ... yet again.

Although they're not qualified to argue at a jury trial, the good people at Maxim have come up with a list of possible phrases the Juice might use. Our favorites include: "If the items are mine, then what is the crime?" and "If you plunder my riches, I might have to kill some white bitches," and "If you take my memorabilia, I might just have to killia."

Couldn't have said it better ourselves.

With Juice caught trying to allegedly steal memorabilia from an alleged Vegas hotel room at alleged gunpoint, he'll need a pithy "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit"–style defense to get off the hook again. Any of these will do:

"If the items are mine, then what is the crime?"

"If the jersey says 'Juice,' the sentence must be reduced."

"If I can get off for murder, this trial should go no further."

"If you plunder my riches, I might have to kill some white bitches."

"If the jersey doesn't fit, I've just gotten too fat for it."

"If I'm forced to pay millions for another attorney, someone's leaving here on a gurney."

"If the footballs bore my name, then I can't be to blame."

"If you take my memorabilia, I might just have to killia."

"If you aren't this autograph's rightful owner, I've got another pair of Isotoners."

"If you make a movie about Fred Goldman, he should be played by Gary Oldman."

"If the trophy says "Simpson," you'll get a double dose of this pimpin'."

"If you wanted a souvenir, you should've asked for the body I threw off the pier."

"If you can overlook it, I'll write a book called If I Took It."

"If you stole tube socks from my vault, I can't be guilty of assault."

"If the judge forgets I won a Heisman, I'm going to give his legs a Theisman."

"If you think I'm capable of kidnapping, then you're in for a whole lot of bitch slapping."

"If I threatened that collector, I'll renounce my job as bikini inspector."

"If I was part of that armed raid, you know someone would've ended up slayed."

OJ. Simpson won't have much juice if he tries to return to the Palms hotel-casino.

George Maloof, owner of the hotel best known for its headline-generating celebrity clientele, made it clear Thursday that Simpson is unwelcome after his stay triggered a media storm and "disruption" created by his arrest on armed robbery charges.

The former NFL star stayed at the Palms for seven nights before departing Wednesday after three days in jail on charges related to the Sept. 13 sports memorabilia break-in at Palace Station.

"It's highly unlikely he'd stay here again. We don't need the drama," said Maloof, who had no contact with Simpson and did not comp the man who beat a double murder rap 12 years ago.

"It was a disruption and a hindrance to our other guests," Maloof said, adding that the furor caused by Simpson's stay was more intense than the stir created by Britney Spears' brief marriage after partying at the Palms in January 2004.

"But we didn't have all this 24-7 Internet stuff then. This was nonstop for a week. It just kept going. We had hundreds of media calls."

Some callers and e-mailers wanted Simpson, who was with a wedding party, thrown out of the Palms, Maloof said. "Not that many," he said when asked to give a number.

Simpson's departure, after a televised caravan to the Palms following his release on $125,000 bail, ended the wildest two weeks in the history of Maloof's 6-year-old property.

Estimating O.J. Simpson's economic impact on Las Vegas
Commentary: The ever-bankable story of 'The Juice' just keeps on giving
By MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:52 AM ET Sep 19, 2007

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- O.J. Simpson's latest troubles may bring back terrible memories, a sense of outrage, bemusement or just a big yawn.
But for the media and the Las Vegas tourism industry, the arrest and pending case against "The Juice" could be the biggest thing since Siegfried and Roy.
Simpson has been charged with 10 felonies in connection with the alleged theft at gunpoint of sports memorabilia from men in a Las Vegas hotel. See related story.
Whether the "bump" in additional hotel room bookings, expense account meals, car rentals, and miscellaneous expenditures tied to the new O.J. Simpson story will be sufficient to cause casino and hotel operators to raise their guidance remains to be seen.
But things pertaining to Simpson remain among the most bankable "news" stories in America and around the world.
After all, he remains the only guy whose story competed with a State of the Union address on live TV -- when the wrongful death judgment against him was broadcast during Bill Clinton's 1997 speech to Congress.
Naturally a key question will be whether TV cameras are allowed in the courtroom for this latest event.
But public interest will be intense to have them there, and there are precedents in Nevada.
Another alternative would be to carry the trial over the Internet.
Even so, the case won't be something that local TV stations or newspapers will want to take pool coverage on if there's any chance of having their own reporters there. So if you figure on a couple thousand reporters, TV crew and technicians camping out to cover the new case, a conservative back-of-the envelope calculation yields:

2,000 journalists at $150 a night for 28 nights	$8.4 million
2,000 journalists at $100 a day for food for 28 days (They can eat at the buffets to save)	$5.6 million
2,000 journalists at $40 a day for cars for 28 days	$2.24 million
2,000 journalists at $1,000 for plane tickets	$2 million
Total	$18.24 million

And that doesn't include legal fees, parking fees, the pretrial motion coverage, the appeals, the costs to Clark County, the police overtime, the studio rentals, the foreign press coverage and so forth. If the case drags on and on, or if interest really begins to take off, the number of journalists involved could easily double and push the coverage costs alone well clear of $50 million. And the potential impact extends beyond just Las Vegas. If the trial doesn't get going until next summer, the ratings for the Summer Olympics from Beijing could be seriously affected. That'd be bad news for General Electric's NBC unit (GE) which is planning thousands of hours of coverage of the games. And of course, the national political conventions will face even more trouble drawing viewer interest if there's an O.J. trial on. If ever the world needed a plea bargain agreement, this is the time.

O.J. Simpson freed from jail, leaves Las Vegas
Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:06am EDT

By Dan Whitcomb

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - O.J. Simpson was freed from a Las Vegas jail on Wednesday and quickly left town after a judge granted the former American football star $125,000 bail on charges he took part in a bizarre armed robbery of his own sports memorabilia.

Simpson, who was acquitted of killing his ex-wife and her friend in 1995 after a sensational double murder trial that left his reputation in tatters, walked out of jail hours after a hearing before a Las Vegas judge.

He did not enter a plea to charges of armed robbery, assault and kidnapping, but was expected to plead innocent at a later court appearance. His lawyers said they would fight the charges.

Simpson, who was followed by news camera crews and helicopters as he drove from the jail to his hotel, flew back home to Florida on Wednesday afternoon. Under the bail conditions, Simpson must surrender his passport but can travel within the United States.

During the hearing, Simpson wore blue jail garb and was handcuffed and shackled at the waist. He addressed the court only when asked by a judge if he understood the charges.

"Yes sir," Simpson replied in a low, hoarse voice.

Some 50 journalists were in court, along with Simpson's girlfriend Christine Prody, his eldest daughter Arnelle, sister Shirley and her husband, Benny. The circus-like atmosphere on the courthouse steps was reminiscent of the earlier trial.

MEMORABILIA DEALER ARRESTED

Galanter acknowledged the media frenzy and Simpson's battered image during a news conference outside court that was interrupted several times by onlookers who shouted, waved signs and held up plastic bottles of orange juice, a reference to his nicknames of O.J. and "The Juice."

"We understand who our client is and we know what the public perception is," Galanter said of the man whose murder trial captivated world attention more than a decade ago.

Simpson was arrested on Sunday in what prosecutors say was the armed theft of his own memorabilia from collectors Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino.

Beardsley and Fromong told police they were asked by a man named Thomas Riccio to meet at the Palace Station with a potential buyer for about $100,000 worth of memorabilia.

Instead, they say, Simpson burst into the room with four other men, two of them armed, and after an angry altercation, stuffed the memorabilia into pillow cases and left.

In the latest twist in the case, Beardsley was arrested on Wednesday by U.S. Marshals at the Luxor hotel and casino on an unrelated warrant issued by the California Department of Corrections.

A U.S. Marshals Service spokesman, Michael Picou, said Beardsley was suspected of violating his parole in a conviction for stalking. Picou had no further information on the warrant.

Fromong has been in the Intensive Care Unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles since Monday night. A spokeswoman for the hospital, Simi Singer, said Fromong was in fair condition there after suffering a "major heart attack."

Simpson has said he did nothing wrong and was trying to retrieve his own personal photos, his Hall of Fame certificate and other items he said had been stolen.

A record-setting running back in the National Football League who parlayed that fame into a career in movies and television, Simpson stood trial for the June 12, 1994, stabbing murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, 35, and her friend Ron Goldman, 25.

He was cleared by jurors despite what prosecutors called a "mountain of evidence" against him, but two years later a civil court jury found him responsible for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the victims' families.

The lead prosecutor in the murder case, former Los Angeles prosecutor Marcia Clark, attended Wednesday's hearing in Las Vegas, working as a special correspondent for a syndicated entertainment news program.

O.J. Simpson to face kidnapping, armed robbery charges

Sep 18 06:22 PM US/Eastern

Former American football star O.J. Simpson has been charged with eight offences, including kidnapping and armed robbery, court documents showed Tuesday.

Simpson, an iconic sports star who was dramatically acquitted of brutally murdering his ex-wife and her friend 12 years ago, is to appear in court in Las Vegas on Wednesday for an arraignment hearing.

The charges against Simpson and three other men were detailed in a criminal complaint filed by Nevada prosecutors in Clark County on Tuesday, following the fallen icon's arrest on Sunday in connection with an alleged armed robbery.

Simpson and the men have been charged with seven felony offences: conspiracy to commit kidnapping; conspiracy to commit robbery; first degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon; burglary with a deadly weapon; robbery with a deadly weapon; assault with a deadly weapon and coercion with a deadly weapon.

The four men have also been charged with the misdemeanor offence of conspiracy to commit a crime.

If convicted on the most serious charges Simpson would face several years, possibly decades, in prison.

The charges stem from an incident at the Palace Station casino on Thursday, when a gang of gun-toting men that included Simpson is reported to have stormed into a hotel room and snatched sporting memorabilia from two dealers.

Simpson is currently behind bars in Las Vegas in connection with the alleged robbery. In interviews with US media prior to his arrest he denied robbery, saying he was only recovering items that had been illegally stolen from him.

One of the most famous American football players of his generation during the 1970s, Simpson was the prime suspect in the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman.

Simpson, who has always vehemently denied the killings, was acquitted of them after a racially charged Los Angeles trial in 1995, a verdict that was greeted with widespread outrage across America.

Simpson was subsequently found liable for the deaths in a 1997 civil suit and was ordered to pay damages to the victims' families totaling 33.5 million dollars.


Copyright AFP 2007, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium
 

O.J. Simpson Ordered Held Without Bail
Sep 16 11:09 PM US/Eastern
By RYAN NAKASHIMA
Associated Press Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Police arrested O.J. Simpson on Sunday, saying he was part of an armed group who burst into a Las Vegas hotel room and snatched memorabilia that documented his own sports career, long ago eclipsed by scandal.

The arrest starts a new legal odyssey for the fallen football star who more than a decade ago was acquitted of the slayings of his ex-wife and a friend, and opens the possibility he could spend decades behind bars.

Simpson was taken away from The Palms casino-hotel by plainclothes officers a day after the arrest of a golfing buddy who police say accompanied him with a gun in the Thursday night holdup. Handcuffed and wearing a golf shirt and jeans, Simpson was placed in an SUV. He was later ordered by a judge to be held without bail, police said.

"He was very cooperative, there were no issues," Capt. James Dillon said.

Simpson was at the Clark County Detention Center on Sunday night for booking on two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit a crime and burglary with a firearm, police said. The district attorney, meanwhile, said he expected Simpson to ultimately be charged with seven felonies and one gross misdemeanor.

If convicted of the booking charges, Simpson would face up to 30 years in state prison on each robbery count alone.

"He is facing a lot of time," said Clark County District Attorney David Roger.

Simpson, 60, has said he and other people were retrieving items that belonged to him. Simpson has said there were no guns involved and that he went to the room at the casino only to get stolen mementos that included his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of the running back with J. Edgar Hoover.

"He is facing a lot of time," said Clark County District Attorney David Roger.

Simpson, 60, has said he and other people were retrieving items that belonged to him. Simpson has said there were no guns involved and that he went to the room at the casino only to get stolen mementos that included his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of the running back with J. Edgar Hoover.

Simpson told The Associated Press on Saturday that he did not call the police to help reclaim the items because he has found the police unresponsive to him ever since his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were killed in 1994.

"The police, since my trouble, have not worked out for me," he said, noting that whenever he has called the police "It just becomes a story about O.J."

Police did not allege that Simpson personally carried a weapon in the incident.

"We don't have any information to lead us to believe he was armed even based on those charges," said police Lt. Clint Nichols.

Police said they seized two firearms involved in the robbery along with sports memorabilia, mostly signed by Simpson. They also said they recovered collectible baseballs and Joe Montana cleats at private residences early Sunday on three search warrants. But "whether or not the property belonged to Mr. Simpson is a matter of debate," Nichols said.

Walter Alexander, 46, of Mesa, Ariz., was arrested Saturday night on two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary with a deadly weapon. Alexander, who was described as one of Simpson's golfing buddies, was released without bail Saturday night.

"Walter was one of the two subjects who had a gun," Capt. James Dillon said.

Robert Dennis Rentzer, a Los Angeles lawyer representing Alexander, said he was able to arrange his client's release from custody, but wasn't familiar with the allegations.

Police also are seeking four men: Clarence Stewart, 53, of Las Vegas, Michael McClinton, 49, of Las Vegas, Tom Scotto, whose age and hometown were not known, and another man who was not identified.

Simpson, a Heisman Trophy winner, ex-NFL star and actor, lives near Miami and has been a tabloid staple since his ex-wife and Goldman were killed. Simpson was acquitted of murder charges, but a jury later held him liable for the killings in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, welcomed the possibility that Simpson could go to prison.

"He's believed for years, decades, that he's entitled to do anything he wants, and the legal system and society has basically agreed with him," Goldman said. "This time, hopefully, he'll get what he deserves. He'll get jail time."

Police said Sunday that Simpson asked to speak with his lawyer before proceeding with an interview, although he spoke several times with investigators before his arrest. The attorney, Yale Galanter, said that he was attempting to get Simpson released.

"Obviously we intend to fight these charges vigorously. We believe it is an extremely defensible case based on conflicting witness statements, flip-flopping by witnesses and witnesses making deals with the government to flip," he said.

Simpson said auction house owner Tom Riccio called him several weeks ago to say some collectors were selling some of his items. Riccio set up a meeting with collectors under the guise that he had a private collector interested in buying Simpson's items.

Simpson said he was accompanied by several men he met at a wedding cocktail party, and they took the collectibles.

Alfred Beardsley, one of the sports memorabilia collectors who was in the hotel room, has said he wants the case dropped and that he's "on O.J.'s side."

"It's like a bad dream," Beardsley said. "I'm sad that O.J. is in custody."

Beardsley said he blames the whole thing on Riccio. "If they don't charge Riccio I will be very upset. That guy lied to O.J. and got him all pumped up," he said.

Simpson's arrest came just days after the Goldman family published a book that Simpson had written under the title, "If I Did It" about how he would have committed the killings of his ex-wife and Goldman had he actually done it.

After a deal for Simpson to publish it fell through, a federal bankruptcy judge awarded the book's rights to the Goldman family, who retitled it "If I Did It: The Confessions of the Killer." During the weekend, the book was the hottest seller in the country, hitting No. 1 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.

___

Associated Press Writers Ken Ritter in Las Vegas, Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix and John Antczak, Thomas Watkins and Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.


Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
 

O.J. Simpson arrested in Las Vegas robbery involving sports memorabilia

LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson was arrested Sunday and faces multiple felony charges in an alleged armed robbery of collectors involving the former football great's sports memorabilia, authorities said.

Simpson was arrested shortly after 11 a.m., Capt. James Dillon said.

Prosecutors were planning to charge Simpson with two counts of robbery with use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and coercion, said Clark County District Attorney David Roger.

A conviction on the most serious charge, robbery with use of a deadly weapon, could bring a sentence of three to 35 years for each count, he said.

"He is facing a lot of time," Roger said.

Simpson was being held at Las Vegas police offices pending the arrival of his lawyer, who was expected later Sunday, Dillon said.

"He was very co-operative, there were no issues," Dillon said.

At least one other person has been arrested and police said Sunday that as many as six people could be arrested in connection with the alleged armed robbery that occurred in a room inside the Palace Station casino-hotel on Thursday.

Simpson, 60, has said he and other people with him were retrieving items that belonged to him. Simpson has said there were no guns involved and that he went to the room at the casino only to get stolen mementos that included his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of the running back with J. Edgar Hoover.

Simpson told The Associated Press on Saturday that he did not call the police to help reclaim the items because he has found the police unresponsive to him ever since his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were killed in 1994.

"The police, since my trouble, have not worked out for me," he said, noting that whenever he has called the police "It just becomes a story about O.J."

The Heisman Trophy winner, ex-NFL star and actor lives near Miami and has been a tabloid staple since his ex-wife and Goldman were killed in 1994. Simpson was acquitted of murder charges, but a jury later held him liable for the killings in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Police said two firearms and other evidence were seized at a private residence early Sunday.

Walter Alexander, 46, of Arizona, was arrested Saturday night on two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary with a deadly weapon.

He was released without bail on Saturday night, Dillon said.

Besides the two firearms, police said they seized other evidence during early morning searches of two residences, Lt. Clint Nichols said.

"It was evidence of a crime that was committed," Nichols said. "And I believe we recovered some clothing that the individual was wearing in the commission of the robbery."

Simpson said auction house owner Tom Riccio called him several weeks ago to say some collectors were selling some of his items. Riccio set up a meeting with collectors under the guise that he had a private collector interested in buying Simpson's items.

Simpson said he was accompanied by several men he met at a wedding cocktail party, and they took the collectibles.

Alfred Beardsley, one of the sports memorabilia collectors involved in the alleged robbery, has said he wants the case dropped and that he's "on O.J.'s side."

.