TOM RICCIO SPEAKS TO STEPPIN OUT ON O.J.

Tom Riccio

In September, the alleged shady memorabilia dealer Tom Riccio will testify against O.J. Simpson in Las Vegas for a long list of charges that could land the former football great (turned suspected murderer) behind bars for life. In this weeks Steppin' Out magazine, editor Chaunce Hayden sits down with Riccio and talks about his upcoming 15 minutes of courtroom stardom. The following are a few highlights of the interview.

Chaunce Hayden:

Isn't it somewhat suspicious that you had an audio recorder with you during the alleged Vegas break-in?

Tom Riccio:

Not really. One of the guys in the hotel room, Al Beardsley, is criminally insane! Seriously! He's been in insane wards. He threatened to kill my cat and boil it in hot water! I don't even have a cat. He's got restraining orders against him from the mayor of Burbank, California. This guy even has stalking charges against him. He's banned from a lot of memorabilia shows. We all knew who he was and that he had the ability to do something crazy. So I wanted a tape to document things in case he did do something insane. Some people say I'm stupid and that if I had a video camera there I would have made a couple million more dollars. Plus, I didn't know what was going to happen.

Chaunce Hayden:

How do you think O.J. feels about all the money you're making from his troubles?

Tom Riccio:

That's a good question. I thought about that a lot. At the preliminary hearing in November, I looked toward him as I got off the stand and he smiled and winked at me. He didn't seem upset with me then. Hours before he got arrested he called me and said, “Tom, this is all going to blow over. I just talked to Alfred Beardsley and we're friends.” I was shocked by that because he hated Beardsley. He called him a stalker. He even tried to buy O.J.'s underwear! And now he's friends with him? He also said, “I'm going to make this all go away and in a few days we'll be laughing at this.” Hours later he got arrested.

Chaunce Hayden:

Should O.J. go to jail in your opinion?

Tom Riccio:

I really don't want to give my opinion. I think that's up to the jury and the judge. But if they can prove O.J. had a gun I think he should go to prison, but not for life like he's facing now. Personally, I think it's going to be a hung jury.

Chaunce Hayden:

In September you'll be testifying at O.J.'s trial. If convicted he faces the rest of his life behind bars. How does it feel to be the guy whose words could put O.J. in jail for good?

Tom Riccio:

I'm not trying to put O.J. in jail. If he committed a crime, so be it. But it's not my goal.

Chaunce Hayden:

Do you think O.J. killed Nicole?

Tom Riccio:

I really don't want to comment on that. I wasn't there that day.