The Collectors

As far as Beardsley and Fromong knew, they were meeting a wealthy buyer who was looking to purchase their O.J. Simpson memorabilia. Riccio arranged the meeting in his Palace Station hotel room. They had no idea that they would soon be face to face with The Juice himself.

According to Beardsley, Simpson was unarmed, but two of his companions each had pistols. He said one of the men kept his gun pointed at Fromong, while another frisked him and impersonated a police officer.

"I'm a cop and you're lucky this ain't LA or you'd be dead," the man said in a tape of the incident released earlier this week.

"One of the thugs — that's the best thing I can call them — somebody blurted out 'police!' and they came in military style," Beardsley told NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday. "I thought it might have been law enforcement or the FBI or something because I was ordered to stand up, and I was frisked for weapons."

"At no time did Mr. Simpson hold any type of firearm at all," he said.

Wednesday, Beardsley was arrested in his Strip hotel room for violating conditions of his parole. In March 2006 he was paroled after serving 11 months for stalking a woman, said authorities

Bruce Fromong has described himself as a former friend of Simpson’s and testified in his defense during the civil trial brought by the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. According to police reports he was shoved over a chair by one of the assailants. He was hospitalized Tuesday after suffering a massive heart attack.

The Accused

All five men have been arrested for the parts they played in the incident and police expect the sixth man to surrender himself soon. Walter Alexander was the first man brought in.

An anonymous tip to the Las Vegas police pointed to Alexander, who was waiting for a flight to Phoenix on Saturday night when he was picked up. Information he provided led the police to the other men and three search warrants. He was later release on his own recognizance and has struck a plea deal with prosecutors.

During the search at McClinton’s home, police found clothes that matched those worn by suspects in the hotel surveillance tape and two semiautomatic weapons they believe were used in the robbery. McClinton was arrested Tuesday.

Stewart was the driver for the outfit. He and the other men climbed into his Lincoln Navigator and proceeded to Palace Station. According to his lawyer, Robert G. Lucherini, he was unaware of Simpson’s intent and has said that no guns were drawn. He was released after posting $78,000 bail.

Cashmore surrendered himself to police Wednesday and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning. He handed over several items that police believe were taken in the heist.

The Lawyers

The Juice is familiar with staring at the business end of a criminal investigation. After all, he did manage to overcome a mountain of evidence implicating him in the 1994 murder trial. His legal team this time out includes Gabriel Grasso and Yale Galenter.

Grasso, a Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer has faced damning odds before. In 2003, he represented some of the 311 Boyz, a gang of affluent Las Vegas youths, who savagely beat and maimed another Las Vegas teen. The defendants were given relatively light sentences considering the severity of the crime.

Galenter, Simpson’s Florida lawyer, is a self-described legal expert who has given his legal insights during interviews on the Kobe Bryant rape case and the Scott Peterson murder case.

They are facing against two experienced prosecutors in Clark County District Attorney David Roger and Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Owens. Having worked on the Ted Binion murder trial and the Laughlin River Run riot, the two are experienced with high-profile trials. In the former, Roger won convictions against Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish in the murder of casino magnate Ted Binion.

Simpson’s Tale

Simpson says that he was contacted by Riccio and told that there were collectors were trying to sell several pieces of memorabilia without people knowing. After arranging a meeting with the collectors in Riccio’s hotel room, Simpson, Stewart, Alexander, and McClinton piled into Stewart’s Navigator and made their way to Palace Station.

In room 1203, Simpson confronted the dealers, former associates. He claims several of the items, which included personal items, were his property and were stolen from him. “I don’t care about the memorabilia. I just wanted the family stuff,” he said.

Although he’s pondered why he is facing legal woes rather than the men he accuses of attempting to sell stolen goods, he does not have any evidence to prove the items are his property.

He maintains that no weapons were involved and that the incident wasn’t a robbery.

Simpson was arrested Sunday and brought to the Clark County Detention center, where he spent three days in a 7-foot by 14-foot cell. He was initially arrested without bail, which was granted Wednesday morning.

Simpson was released on $125,000 bail at 12:18 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. He posted 15 percent bail through You Ring We Spring Bail Bonds. He and his lawyer drove a silver sedan from the detention center to The Palms, where he stayed prior to his arrest.

He was ordered to surrender his passport, but may travel freely in the U.S. He was also ordered not to communicate with any of his codefendants or witnesses until he returns to court October 22.

He returned to Florida Wednesday afternoon.

Riccio and the Tape

The man some consider the architect behind the incident Thomas Riccio. He owns a California-based auction house, which handled the eBay auction of Anna Nicole Smith’s handwritten diaries after her death.

According to Riccio, Simpson was supposed to confirm his ownership of the memorabilia and give the collectors an ultimatum: surrender the items or he would contact the authorities. What happened was pandemonium.

Riccio surreptitiously recorded the entirety of the events on an audio tape, which has been released to the public. The tape indicates a yelling, snarling Simpson as the ringleader of the group.

"Think you can steal my s--- and sell it?" Simpson said, “Don't let nobody out of here."

Beardsley accuses him of getting Simpson frenzied about the memorabilia. “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.

He claims the tape made at the scene was inaccurate.

Co-defendant Alexander believes the incident was a set up. Although Riccio had taped the entire confrontation, he sold the recording to TMZ.com and did not inform the police about its existence.

“It sounds like a setup to me,” he told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Tuesday.

Riccio is a former ex-con whose rap sheet includes: four separate felony convictions, including arson, prison escape and stolen property charges. He has spent a total of eight years in prison and was first convicted of a felony in 1984, charged with conspiracy to receive stolen goods.

Police said he could face charges in connection with the armed robbery.

The story of these men and O.J. Simpson is ongoing. Legal experts have expressed concern that the credibility of these men can affect the outcome of the case.

“This is a pretty shady world and pretty shady characters dealing with each other in a pretty shady way,” said Dennis Turner, a University of Dayton School of Law professor.

Although the robbery occurred just seven days ago, throngs of reporters have stormed Las Vegas for what many consider the biggest story to come out of this town in recent memory.

The last post in this series will detail the circus this story has become.

Las Vegas newspapers and media seem to have an obsession with OJ, but there is so much more to Vegas than seedy ex-football players. There are amazing Las Vegas shopping centers & malls to deck yourself out, and after your shopping adventure you can hit one of of the many gourmet Las Vegas restaurants on the Strip.