O J Simpson convicted for robbery, kidnapping

American football legend O J Simpson was on Saturday found guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery of two sports-memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel, 13 years after he was acquitted in the sensational double murder case of his ex-wife and her friend.

Simpson, 61, faces possible life imprisonment. He will be sentenced on December 5. 

Simpson was convicted by a jury in Las Vegas of storming into a down-market casino hotel last year along with a gun-totting group and seizing sports memorabilia from the two dealers worth thousands of dollars. Simpson and his co-defendant, Clarence Stewart, were both convicted for robbery and kidnapping and 10 other counts.

Both defendants, who were handcuffed, were taken into custody after they were pronounced 'guilty'. Four of their former co-defendants agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges and testified for the prosecution. The verdict means Simpson faces a possible life sentence for a six-minute confrontation with the two sports memorabilia dealers, the Los Angeles Times reported. Simpson's attorneys pledged to appeal.

The jury comprising nine women and three men deliberated more than 13 hours to reach the verdict, 13 years to the day Simpson was acquitted of two murders -- his ex-wife and her friend in Los Angeles. A grim-faced Simpson sat quietly and showed little emotion at the defence table as the courtroom clerk read the verdict.

He told CNN over the phone before the verdict was read that he was apprehensive.

Simpson's lawyer, Yale Galanter, alleged that the Hall of Fame football star was a target of investigators from the very beginning. The case "has taken on a life of its own because of Mr Simpson's involvement," he was quoted as saying.