Three Michigan men—Issa Hamade, 32, a dentist; Ahmad Harb, 32, a disc jockey; and Sobhi Sobh, 33, a physical therapist—were arrested Wednesday on charges including first-degree kidnapping, extortion, and battery in connection with the violent assault of Naved Azim, a New York resident. The incident occurred at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, where the trio allegedly lured Azim to a room, then beat, strangled, suffocated him with a pillow, gagged him, and stuffed him in a closet.
The men demanded $185,000 from Azim’s father to cover gambling debts owed to Harb, though Harb later told investigators the actual amount was $325,000. Police reports state the suspects made a video call to Azim’s father, showing his son beaten and on his knees, with one saying, “Listen, your son scammed me of 185K in fake sports bets. I want my money, period.” The suspects also gathered photos and contact information of Azim’s family and friends, threatening to harm them if the debt was not repaid.
During a court hearing, Hamade’s attorney, Michael Troiano, described his client as an upstanding citizen and suggested Azim was involved in the alleged scam.