O.J. Simpson jailed on bail violation

[Guest guest]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080112/ap_on_re_us/oj_simpson

O.J. Simpson jailed on bail violation

By KEN RITTER, Associated Press Writer

26 minutes ago

LAS VEGAS - O.J. Simpson returned to jail Friday, where he will spend

several days before a judge hears allegations that he violated terms

of his bail in an armed robbery case, officials said.

Simpson, 60, arrived in Las Vegas on a commercial flight from Florida

with his bail bondsman, Pereira. He was taken in handcuffs by

a police escort to the County Detention Center, where both he

and Pereira ignored questions from reporters.

But in an interview later, Pereira told The Associated Press he was

unhappy because he had not been paid for handling Simpson's bail, and

that he gave prosecutors a message Simpson wanted him to take to a co-

defendant because he didn't want to face criminal charges.

" He left a message instructing me to do something violating a court

order, " Pereira said after escorting the former football star from

his home in Miami. " I don't want to get involved in such a dilemma or

a criminal act. "

Simpson's attorney denied the allegations.

" O.J. did not try to persuade anybody to contact a witness, " Yale

Galanter told The Associated Press.

A prosecutor claims in documents filed Friday in County

District Court that the tape-recorded message they say Simpson left

for Pereira in November was an effort to contact co-defendant

Clarence " C.J. " , which violated a court order.

" I just want, want C.J. to know that ... I'm tired of this

(expletive), " Simpson is quoted as saying in the documents. " Fed up

with (expletives) changing what they told me. All right? "

Pereira confirmed that Simpson left the expletive-laced 66-word

message in which he expressed frustration at testimony during a three-

day preliminary hearing in November.

" He was upset. He wanted me to tell C.J., " said Pereira, who also

handled 's bond.

remained free Friday, and his lawyer, Pallares, said he

had no knowledge that Simpson's message ever got to .

Pereira said he turned over the message to prosecutors after learning

that someone else knew about it.

" He said he was going to send it to the D.A.'s office and have me

criminally charged, " Pereira said.

Police said Simpson would be kept isolated from the other 3,300

inmates until a court hearing Wednesday, when County District

Attorney plans to request that Simpson's bail be revoked

and he be kept in jail until trial.

Simpson had been instructed by Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe M.

Bonaventure in September not to have any contact with anyone involved

in the case — not even by " carrier pigeon. "

Simpson was freed Sept. 19 on $125,000 bail following his arrest on

allegations he and several friends burst into a Las Vegas hotel room

and robbed two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint.

Simpson has maintained that he was retrieving items that belonged to

him. He and the two other men are scheduled to stand trial April 7.

The prosecutor alleges that Simpson left the voice message with

Pereira for on Nov. 16, two days after Bonaventure ruled that

Simpson, and Ehrlich should stand trial on 12

charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery.

's three-page motion alleges Simpson " committed new crimes, "

without providing details or elaboration. Dan Kulin, a spokesman for

, declined to say whether new charges would be filed against

Simpson.

Galanter said he believed the " new crimes " referred to allegations of

witness tampering. He called Pereira a member of Simpson's defense

team, and said he was " totally miffed " by the effort to use a tape of

a permissible phone call to try to revoke Simpson's bail.

" He was clearly voicing frustration to a member of the defense team

who had been providing security, transportation and investigation

services, " Galanter said.

Pereira said he provided security and transportation, and that

Simpson stayed at his home during the preliminary hearing.

But he said he and his business, You Ring We Spring bail bonds in

North Las Vegas, were not part of Simpson's legal team.

" I'm a separate entity, " he said. " Whenever they go into their

attorney-client thing, I step out of the room. I'm not an

investigator, nor am I hired or paid by their defense team. "

Pereira said he was upset that Simpson never paid him the 15 percent,

or $18,750, he was due for posting Simpson's $125,000 bail.

" I'm in the bag for plane tickets, car rental down in Florida, even

the $40 filing fee at the jail, " he said.

Simpson, and Ehrlich each pleaded not guilty Nov. 28 to

kidnapping, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary,

coercion and conspiracy charges. A kidnapping conviction could bring

a life sentence with the possibility of parole. An armed robbery

conviction carries mandatory prison time.

Three other former co-defendants, Walter , McClinton

and Cashmore, agreed to plea deals and testified against

Simpson at the evidentiary hearing.

Simpson has maintained that no guns were displayed during the

confrontation, that he never asked anyone to bring guns and that he

did not know anyone had guns. He has said he intended only to

retrieve items that had been stolen from him by a former agent,

including the suit he wore the day he was acquitted of murder in 1995

in the slayings of his wife, Brown Simpson, and her friend,

Goldman.

___

AP Special Correspondent Deutsch in Los Angeles contributed to

this report.