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WENN.com
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Sunday, September 16, 2007
HOLLYWOOD - O.J. Simpson has been arrested in Las Vegas in connection with a reported armed robbery on Thursday night.
Police insiders suggest the former football star-turned-actor faces charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery and armed robbery with a deadly weapon.
The arrest comes as Alfred Bearsdley, the victim of the sports memorabilia raid, attempted to clear Simpson's name by claiming the star was "duped" into believing a stash of his memorabilia was to be illegally sold.
Simpson and five associates raided Beardsley's suite at the Palace Station Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, pretending to be part of a group interested in buying the memorabilia items, which included the suit the Naked Gun star wore when he was acquitted of the double murder of his wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994.
The memorabilia collector/broker claims weapons were brandished at the scene and he and a partner were forced to hand over all the memorabilia they had in the suite at gunpoint.
Beardsley initially went on the attack, claiming Simpson "took control" of the raid, but now he accepts the fallen actor was duped by another memorabilia collector, Thomas Riccio, who let him and his associates into the suite, where the robbery took place.
Beardsley, who has been transferred from the Palace Station to the Hard Rock Hotel, where he's staying as a guest of entertainer Jeff Beacher, says, "O.J. didn't do anything wrong. He was actually kind of duped.
"Thomas Riccio told him that we were gonna have thousands of photographs there, personal family photographs of the Simpson family, and it was never intended to be there.
"They (Simpson and associates) couldn't find the room.... They call Riccio on his cell phone and Riccio told them, 'Stay put, I'll come and get you.' He walked them all through the front door."
Beardsley reveals he and Simpson have spoken about the "misunderstanding" and he claims the star has apologized for his actions.
At a press conference on Friday, Las Vegas police confirmed Simpson was helping them with their investigation into the robbery.
Another man, Walter Alexander, a longtime friend of Simpson, has also been arrested for conspiracy to commit armed robbery in connection with the alleged raid. He was released on bail early on Sunday.
Police have also confirmed that they have seized two guns they believe were used in the alleged robbery.
Under Nevada law, Simpson faces as much as 30 years in jail if he's found guilty of armed robbery.
He maintains he did nothing wrong and was simply reclaiming sports memorabilia that belonged to him.
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