Former Nba Star Gilbert Arenas Charged Over High-stakes Illegal Poker Ring In Los Angeles

Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas has been indicted connected national charges stemming from an forbidden high-stakes gambling ringing that operated retired of a Los Angeles mansion he owned, US authorities announced connected Tuesday.

Arenas, 43, who starred for nan Washington Wizards and was known arsenic Agent Zero during his playing career, was arrested alongside 5 different defendants, including a man national officials picture arsenic a suspected high-level personnel of an Israeli organized crime group.

The indictment, unsealed successful Los Angeles, accuses nan six men of moving an illicit gambling cognition from September 2021 to July 2022 successful nan able suburb of Encino. According to prosecutors, Arenas rented retired nan mansion for poker games and instructed an subordinate to shape nan venue, enlistee hosts and cod rent connected his behalf.

Those games, authorities said, were not mean location poker nights. The gatherings featured ‘Pot Limit Omaha’ and different formats pinch players charged a rake, either a trim of each cookware aliases a level interest per hand. Prosecutors allege nan events were staffed pinch chefs, equipped guards, valets and young women who served drinks, provided massages and offered companionship successful speech for tips. The women were reportedly required to salary a “tax” connected their net to nan organizers.

The defendants arrested alongside Arenas were named arsenic Yevgeni Gershman, 49, of Woodland Hills – described by prosecutors arsenic an Israeli nationalist linked to transnational organized crime – arsenic good arsenic Evgenni Tourevski, 48; Allan Austria, 52; Yarin Cohen, 27; and Ievgen Krachun, 43. All look charges of conspiracy to run an forbidden gambling business and operating an forbidden gambling business. Arenas is besides charged pinch making mendacious statements to national investigators.

Authorities opportunity Gershman played a cardinal domiciled successful managing nan gambling operation, overseeing logistics and staff. Krachun is accused of moving arsenic a “chip runner”, search players’ wins and losses and paying employees.

Gershman faces further charges related to an alleged sham matrimony designed to unafraid US residency. Prosecutors opportunity he conspired pinch Valentina Cojocari, 35, of Woodland Hills, to taxable fraudulent migration documents and lied astir his criminal inheritance and gambling activity. Both look charges of matrimony fraud, conspiracy and mendacious statements connected migration forms. Cojocari was besides arrested Tuesday.

All 8 defendants were scheduled to make their first tribunal appearances connected Tuesday day successful downtown Los Angeles.

If convicted, nan defendants look up to 5 years successful national situation for each count. The lawsuit is being prosecuted by nan US Attorney’s Office’s Transnational Organized Crime Section, pinch support from Homeland Security Investigations, nan LAPD and nan IRS Criminal Investigation Division.

Arenas, who past played successful nan NBA successful 2012, has remained a nationalist fig done podcasting and commentary, often playing up his arguable persona. The indictment comes conscionable months aft nan May merchandise of Untold: Shooting Guards, a Netflix documentary that spends sizeable clip recapping his tumultuous career. The movie focuses connected nan infamous 2009 locker room incident involving Arenas and Washington Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton, who brought guns into nan team’s installation pursuing a gambling conflict complete a paper game. Featuring interviews pinch some players, arsenic good arsenic erstwhile teammates and insiders, nan documentary charts nan fallout from nan scandal, which led to suspensions, criminal charges and nan eventual derailment of some men’s hoops careers.

Near nan extremity of nan documentary, Arenas explains to nan cameras really overmuch he’s changed from his playing days. “Agent Zero, I’m nary longer that dude,” Arenas said. “It’s scary, but arsenic a parent, what I get to do now is instill everything I went done and say, ‘I fell into that hole, I did each these things, and I’ve learned from it truthful you tin beryllium better.’”