Published on: June 20, 2026, 01:44h.

Updated on: June 20, 2026, 01:49h.

• Three individuals from Michigan were taken into custody this week for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting Naved Azim, a resident of New York, inside an MGM Grand hotel room.
• The accused — a dentist, a DJ, and a physical therapist — claimed that the victim had created phony winning DraftKings tickets for a total of $325K in sports bets he committed to but never placed.
• The suspects are facing multiple felony counts for reportedly assaulting Azim with pool cues and issuing threats against his family.

A dentist, a DJ, and a physical therapist from Michigan were apprehended on Wednesday, June 17, for allegedly enticing a man to a Las Vegas hotel room as part of a fraudulent betting scheme, according to the Las Vegas police.

According to an arrest report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Naved Azim from New York reported to investigators that he was enticed to a hotel room at the MGM Grand the day before by Ahmad Harb and Issa Hamade, both aged 32, and Sobhi Sobh, aged 33. They accused Azim of fabricating sports-betting tickets that resulted in Harb losing $325,000.

Authorities state that the suspects ambushed Azim upon his arrival, attacking him with pool cues, choking him, and attempting to suffocate him with a pillow. They even initiated a video call with Azim’s father, issuing threats unless he promptly paid his so-called debt.

Azim revealed to the police that he had initially met Harb, noted as a DJ in police records, through a bookmaker and had started placing sports bets on Harb’s behalf. At one point, Harb allegedly instructed him to place a $2,300 bet on a New York Knicks game, which had the potential to yield around $20,000.

Azim confessed that he never made the bet, instead creating a fraudulent winning DraftKings ticket using a mobile app. He hoped that Harb would eventually lose a wager, allowing the deception to unravel without exposure. However, police report that Harb’s bets continued to win, inflating his fictitious balance into the six-figure range.

During the encounter at the MGM Grand, investigators noted that the three suspects displayed photographs and addresses of Azim’s family members, threatening that they would target them if he failed to repay his debts.

Legal Charges

Harb, along with Hamade (the licensed dentist) and Sobh (the physical therapist), have been arrested on charges including first-degree kidnapping, extortion, conspiracy, battery with the intent to cause mayhem, robbery or grand larceny, and coercion involving force or threats.

Defense attorneys expressed their opposition during a Las Vegas Justice Court hearing on Thursday. Michael Troiano, who represents Hamade, argued that his client has no criminal record and was simply “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He also characterized Azim’s actions as “fraudulent.”

Ryan Helmick, the attorney for Sobh, remarked to journalists that there is “a lot to uncover” in what he characterized as a complex case.

Court documents indicate that two of the men had posted a $100K bond as of Saturday and were awaiting release under conditions prohibiting contact with Azim.

The Las Vegas police did not respond immediately to inquiries for comments.