UNITED STATES:A SPORTS memorabilia dealer, who claims OJ Simpson and five other men robbed him at gunpoint, has testified that some of the items taken from him were the former football star's family heirlooms.
"I believed these items belonged to Mr Simpson's family," the alleged victim, Bruce Fromong, told jurors at Simpson's armed robbery and kidnap trial on Tuesday. "They should go to his kids."
Though Mr Fromong estimated the value of the items taken at up to $100,000, he said he and Mr Simpson "could have come to some arrangement" regarding their return.
Mr Fromong was not asked to reconcile this belief with his attempt to sell the items at Palace Station Hotel Casino, where he was expecting to meet a wealthy buyer. Instead, he was confronted by an angry Mr Simpson and five associates.
Mr Fromong's statements appeared to support the defence argument that Mr Simpson was simply trying to retrieve stolen mementos, including pictures of his children and his late parents, on September 13th, 2007.
Mr Simpson (61) and co-defendant Clarence Stewart (54) are accused of robbing Mr Fromong and another collectibles dealer at gunpoint. They face a dozen charges, including kidnapping, which carries a potential life sentence.
In his second day of testimony, Mr Fromong acknowledged trying to sell sports collectibles on eBay by advertising them as "the same as the ones stolen from me" by Mr Simpson. He also admitted phoning the TV show Inside Edition shortly after the incident.
Mr Simpson's lawyers are expected to accuse multiple witnesses, including former co-defendants now co-operating with the prosecution, of seeking media attention, book deals and money after the alleged robbery.
Simpson lawyer Gabriel Grasso tried also to point out apparent inconsistencies in Mr Fromong's account of the confrontation.
Mr Fromong had testified that two of Mr Simpson's associates carried guns when they rushed into the hotel room. During the six-minute encounter, Mr Fromong said, Mr Simpson waved an arm up and down while someone yelled "put the gun down".
Mr Simpson maintains he saw no guns in the hotel room.
Under questioning, Mr Fromong admitted that he never mentioned those details during statements to police or in his preliminary hearing testimony.
Mr Fromong's turn on the stand provided additional insight into what prosecutors say is a connection between the alleged robbery and Mr Simpson's attempts to avoid paying a civil judgment.
Mr Simpson was acquitted of the killings of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1995. Two years later, a civil jury ordered him to pay $33.5 million.
An audio recording played for jurors alluded to how Mr Simpson might have concealed assets from the court.
"I helped him set up his [expletive] offshore accounts," said a man identified as Mr Fromong.
- (Los Angeles Times-Washington Post service)