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WORLD / Newsmaker
Simpson named suspect in armed robbery
(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-09-15 17:16
LAS VEGAS - O.J. Simpson says he went into a casino hotel room only to
retrieve memorabilia that he felt was stolen from him. But police are
investigating it as an armed robbery and named the fallen football star
as a suspect Friday in yet another surprising chapter to his legal saga.
O.J. Simpson speaks during an interview seen in this Friday, June 4,
2004, file photo, in Miami. Investigators questioned O.J. Simpson about a
break-in at a casino hotel room involving sports memorabilia, police said
Friday, Sept. 14, 2007. [AP]
In an interview with The Associated Press, Simpson insisted there were no
guns involved and that he went to the room at the Palace Station casino
only to get stolen mementos that included his Hall of Fame certificate
and a picture of the running back with J. Edgar Hoover.
"It's stolen stuff that's mine. Nobody was roughed up," Simpson told the
AP.
Las Vegas Metro Police Capt. James Dillon said the confrontation was
reported as an armed robbery involving guns. But he said no weapons had
been recovered and stressed that the investigation was in its "infancy."
Simpson was questioned by police immediately after the incident Thursday
night. Dillon said Simpson would not agree to a formal, recorded
interview until his lawyer arrived, but did offer some statements about
the incident. No charges had been filed and no one was in custody.
Simpson said auction house owner Tom Riccio called him several weeks ago
to say some collectors "have a lot of your stuff and they don't want
anyone to know they are selling it."
Simpson, who was in Las Vegas for a friend's wedding, said he arranged to
meet Riccio at the hotel. Riccio had set up a meeting with collectors
under the guise that he had a private collector interested in buying
Simpson's items.
"We walked into the room," Simpson said in the telephone interview. "I'm
the last one to go in and when they see me, it's all 'Oh God.'"
He said he was accompanied by several men he met at a wedding cocktail
party, and they took the collectibles.
Simpson said he wasn't sure where the items were taken.
A message left by the AP for Riccio was not immediately returned.
He told the Los Angeles Times he arranged the meeting after receiving a
phone call about a month ago from a person who claimed to have personal
items?- including footballs, awards and photos?- that had belonged to
Simpson and wanted to sell them.
"Simpson was supposed to show up, identify the items and tell the men to
either give the stuff back or he would call the police," Riccio told the
newspaper.
The plan unraveled after Simpson showed up with about seven "intimidating
looking guys," at least one of whom had a gun, he said.
"We tried to peacefully reacquire these personal items, not for their
monetary value, but for their family value. O.J. wanted to be able to
pass these things down to his kids," Riccio said.
"They (Simpson and his companions) took the stuff, and they left. What
can I say? Things went haywire," he said.
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