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Three Michigan Men Charged in Violent MGM Grand Kidnapping Over Alleged Gambling Debt

Police say phone records and a brief extortion video link the arrests to allegedly fabricated DraftKings betting tickets.

Overview

  • Police arrested Issa Hamade, Ahmad Harb and Sobhi Sobh and booked them on first-degree kidnapping, extortion and related felonies after a Las Vegas investigation that police say uncovered the hotel-room attack.
  • Investigators say the victim, identified as Naved Azim, was beaten, strangled, suffocated with a pillow, gagged and stuffed in a closet before suspects made a short video call to his father to demand payment.
  • Authorities say the suspects demanded $185,000 from the victim’s father and that Harb later told police the debt may have been $325,000, figures tied to alleged fake DraftKings betting tickets created to conceal unplaced wagers.
  • A judge set $100,000 bail and ordered high-level electronic monitoring and no-contact conditions for each defendant after court appearances that included defense lawyers disputing parts of the police narrative.
  • The case relied on phone-record analysis, tip follow-ups and hotel cooperation and highlights how disputed sports-betting arrangements can escalate into violent, cross-jurisdictional criminal investigations and potential professional licensing consequences.