LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AFP) — O.J. Simpson was in custody on Friday after allegations he violated bail conditions in a Las Vegas armed robbery and kidnapping case, court documents showed.
The disgraced former American football star was being escorted back to Nevada from Miami with a bail bondsman and will be held behind bars until a hearing in Las Vegas next Wednesday.
Simpson, famously acquitted of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife and her friend, faces an April 7 trial over a confrontation at a Las Vegas hotel in September when he allegedly robbed two sports memorabilia dealers.
The 60-year-old and two associates face 12 charges relating to the alleged robbery and could be jailed for life if convicted.
Simpson pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraigment hearing in November and was freed on bail on the condition that he have no contact with anyone involved in the case.
However, in a motion filed by Las Vegas prosecutors, Simpson was alleged to have attempted to dissuade one of his co-defendants, Clarence Stewart, from cutting a deal with prosecutors and testifying against him.
"Defendant's attempt to contact his co-defendant is a violation of the conditions of his release," the prosecutor's motion read.
"Defendant has breached his agreement with the prosecution ... as a result, defendant's bail should be revoked and he should be held without bail pending trial," the motion added.
One of the most famous American football players of his generation during a glittering 1970s career, Simpson was the prime suspect in the brutal murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman.
Nicole, who had filed for divorce from Simpson in 1992 citing his "abusive behavior," was attacked so savagely that she was almost decapitated.
Simpson, who has always vehemently denied the killings, was acquitted of murder after a racially charged Los Angeles trial in 1995, a verdict that was greeted with widespread outrage across America.
Simpson was found liable for the deaths in a 1997 civil suit and was ordered to pay damages to the victims' families totaling 33.5 million dollars.
The latest legal woe facing Simpson sparked a media sensation last year after allegations that he had led a gang of gun-toting heavies into a Las Vegas hotel room to rob two dealers of sports memorabilia worth 100,000 dollars.
Simpson told reporters following his arrest in September that he had only been recovering personal items stolen from him. He also repeatedly denied knowing that any members of his entourage were carrying guns.
However, three of the men who joined Simpson in the alleged robbery have since cut deals with prosecutors and agreed to testify.
At a pre-trial hearing last November, Simpson's former co-accused said they had been specifically asked by the sports icon to bring guns to the confrontation.
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