Prosecutors say the victim fabricated over $100,000 in winning wagers, and the men he owed came to Las Vegas to collect by force.
Three Michigan men were arrested last week on kidnapping and extortion charges after Las Vegas police say they lured a New York man to a Strip hotel room, beat him with pool cues, strangled him, and stuffed him in a closet over gambling debts that may never have been legitimate to begin with.
Issa Hamade, 32, a dentist from Dearborn, Ahmad Harb, 32, a disc jockey, and Sobhi Sobh, 33, a physical therapist, were booked Wednesday at the Clark County Detention Center. They face charges of first-degree kidnapping, extortion, conspiracy, battery with intent to commit mayhem, robbery or grand larceny, and coercion with force or threats — offenses that carry potential sentences up to life in prison.
According to Metropolitan Police Department arrest reports, the victim, Naved Azim of New York, traveled to Las Vegas to meet “Harb”, described only as a previous acquaintance. Azim told investigators he had been placing sports bets with Harb through a promoter or bookie and that Harb had asked him to wager $2,300 on a New York Knicks game. Azim never placed the bet but told Harb he had, and when it won, he fabricated a DraftKings ticket to cover the lie. The fake wins kept accumulating. Azim told police he continued creating fraudulent betting tickets because he lacked the funds to actually place the wagers and believed Harb would eventually lose enough to make the debt disappear. It never happened, and by the time Harb called Azim to Las Vegas to settle up, the claimed winnings had grown to roughly $100,000. Harb later told investigators he believed Azim owed him $325,000 in total.
The confrontation turned violent at the MGM Grand. Police say Hamade met Harb and Azim at the hotel and went through Azim’s phone, finding the fake DraftKings tickets and an app Azim had used to fabricate conversations with a DraftKings representative. Hamade then physically attacked Azim, who tried to flee but was pinned down when two additional men arrived and began striking him with pool cues. Sobh, according to the arrest report, strangled Azim with his hands and pressed a pillow over his face until Azim nearly lost consciousness. Sobh also put his hand inside a black bag and told Azim he had a silencer and would use it to kill him.
The men then forced Azim to call his father to demand payment. They photographed family members’ contact information and home addresses from Azim’s phone, threatening to harm them if the money was not delivered. A brief video call was made to Azim’s father showing Azim on his knees, visibly beaten. A message was also sent from Azim’s phone: police quoted it as stating Azim had fabricated $185,000 in sports bets and demanding payment in full. Azim was gagged and locked in a closet. Threats to kill him unless the $185,000 arrived by end of day were sent to his father, police said.
Azim’s father contacted a friend of his son’s, who told police Azim had traveled to Las Vegas to meet a gambling acquaintance and had a gambling problem. Azim’s girlfriend confirmed the same. Police obtained phone records placing Azim somewhere on the Strip and sent an alert to area casinos. MGM Grand staff identified Azim as having been at two of their properties the day before. Officers went to the room, where they found Harb and Azim. Azim had visible bruising on his eyes, cheeks, and mouth.
Hamade’s attorney, Michael Troiano, told Las Vegas Justice Court during an initial appearance Thursday that his client had no involvement in the bets or the conspiracy and was simply present in the room. A representative of the Clark County public defender’s office noted that Harb has no prior criminal record. Sobh’s attorney said there is “a lot to uncover” in the case.
Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Pro-Tem Lucinda Coumou set bail at $100,000 for each defendant and ordered high-level electronic monitoring with no contact with Azim. Court records show Hamade posted a surety bond; as of Friday, all three remained in custody at the Clark County Detention Center.
