Three Michigan men face a slew of charges related to the violent kidnapping of a man at a Las Vegas hotel who allegedly owed gambling debts, according to reports.Issa Hamade and Ahmad Harb, both 32, and Sobhi Sobh, 33, were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree kidnapping, extortion, conspiracy, battery with intent to commit mayhem, robbery or grand larceny, and coercion with force or threats, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.During court proceedings in Clark County, Hamade was identified as a dentist from Dearborn, Michigan, while Harb works as a disc jockey and Sobh works as a physical therapist.The trio allegedly lured Naved Azim, a New York resident, to a hotel room at the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip, according to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department report cited by the newspaper.SIX OHIO SUSPECTS ACCUSED OF TORTURING MAN IN WEEKLONG HOTEL KIDNAPPING: 'EXTREMELY DISTURBING'An aerial view shows the Las Vegas Strip illuminated at night in Nevada on Feb.23, 2019.
(iStock)Azim was then beaten, strangled, suffocated with a pillow, gagged, and stuffed in a closet.The men then demanded $185,000 from Azim's father to cover gambling debts owed to Harb, police said.
However, Harb subsequently told investigators that the amount owed to him was $325,000.A short video call was made to Azim's father to show him his badly beaten son on his knees, the report states."Listen, your son scammed me of 185K in fake sports bets.I want my money, period," the message said, according to police.LOOKING BACK AT THE SPORTS GAMBLING CONTROVERSIES THROUGHOUT 2025, WITH NBA AND MLB INVESTIGATIONS LEADING WAY"The males began taking photos of Naved's family and friends' locations, contact information, and addresses," police said.
"The males stated that they would hurt his family and friends if Naved did not pay back what was owed."During Wednesday's court hearing, Hamade's attorney, Michael Troiano, said his client was an upstanding citizen and that Azim was involved...