State of Nevada v. Orenthal James Simpson, et al, Case Number: 07C237890-4. was a criminal case prosecuted in 2007–2008 in the U.S. state of Nevada, primarily involving the retired American football player Simpson.
On the night of September 13, 2007, a group of men led by Simpson entered a room in the Palace Station hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bruce Fromong, a sports memorabilia dealer, testified that the group broke into his hotel room and stole memorabilia at gunpoint. Three days later, on September 16, 2007, Simpson was arrested and initially held without bail. He admitted taking the items, which he said had been stolen from him, but denied breaking into the room. Simpson also denied the allegation that he or the people with him carried weapons. Bail was later set at $125,000.
On October 3, 2008—exactly 13 years after he was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman—Simpson was found guilty of all 12 charges. Right after the verdict was read, Simpson, who had been free on bail prior to this point, was handcuffed and remanded to the Clark County detention center without bail, pending sentencing. On December 5, 2008, Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison with eligibility for parole in nine years (in October 2017). On July 20, 2017, Simpson was granted parole, and was freed three months later. In December 2021, he was granted early discharge from parole.
Robbery
Alfred Beardsley, a memorabilia dealer, contacted Tom Riccio, another memorabilia dealer, regarding a trove of Simpson items Beardsley had in Las Vegas. Riccio then informed Simpson of the items. Claiming that the memorabilia were stolen from him, Simpson, along with Riccio, devised a plan to confront the dealers and get them back. Simpson, who was already planning on going to Las Vegas for a wedding, recruited some wedding guests for the operation. The robbery was planned at Palms Casino Resort. Bruce Fromong, another memorabilia dealer and a friend of Simpson's, met with Beardsley and Riccio in room 1203 at the Palace Station, a room Riccio had rented. Beardsley had contacted Fromong about a client hoping to buy a large amount of Simpson memorabilia; Fromong was unaware the client was Simpson. Riccio had Beardsley and Fromong move the items into the room and spread the memorabilia on the bed to create a display. After a pre-wedding dinner, Simpson and five accomplices drove to the Palace Station, where they met Riccio in the lobby. After some confusion over the room's location, Simpson's party entered the room at 7:38 pm.
When the group entered the room, Simpson ordered his group to not allow anybody to leave. Simpson and Beardsley proceeded to argue over where the memorabilia came from. During the confrontation, accomplice Michael McClinton threatened Fromong with a gun. Simpson's group then stuffed Simpson memorabilia, along with autographed Pete Rose baseballs and Joe Montana lithographs, into pillowcases. The party then returned to the Palms Casino Resort. The confrontation lasted about six minutes.