Ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas arrested; ‘high-stakes illegal poker’ alleged
Former All-Star Gilbert Arenas of the NBA was arrested on Wednesday and accused of five other conspiracy people for having allegedly directed illegal poker games “with high issues” in Encino who understood the hiring of women to provide “companies” to the players, according to the judicial archives.
Arenas, 43, praised an Encino manor he had between September 2021 and July 2022 “in order to host illegal poker games with high issues”, according to a press release published by the American lawyer’s office in Los Angeles. The players were charged with a “rake” or a tax, to play, in addition to everything they bet in various pots, the prosecutors allegedly allegedly in the judicial archives.
Especially known for his time as a guard on Washington Wizards, Arenas is identified in the judicial archives by his nickname “Agent Zero”. He played for the last time professionally in China in 2013.
Arenas has been accused of a conspiracy to operate an illegal game company, operating an illegal game company and making false statements to federal investigators. Arenas wore red basketball shorts and a shirt with the words “Just Grind” because he pleaded not guilty during a brief appearance in court in downtown Wednesday afternoon.
A personal spokesperson for the Arenas did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
Arena’s incorporations were: Yevgeni Gershman, 49, from Woodland Hills; Evgenni Tourevski, 48, from Tarzana; Allan Austria, 52, from West Hills; Yarin Cohen, 27, from Tarzana and Ievgen Krachun, 43, from Tarzana. Prosecutors have described Gershman as a “high -level suspected member of an Israeli organized crime group”.
Cohen and Krachun also pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. Gershman’s hearing continued.
Gershman, Tourevski, Austria and Cohen managed poker games, said prosecutors. Gershman would also have hired young women to serve drinks, provide massages and offer a “company” to players, according to the indictment.
The games began to meet in September 2021, according to the indictment. That year, Arthur Kats, 51, sent SMS to arenas to ask him if he planned to play his own game, according to the files. Arenas would have replied that he “could launch PLO games at home”, referring to illegal poker games “Pot Limit Omaha” at the “Gable house”.
The authorities said Kats had not been arrested alongside the other accused on Wednesday and that the police were actively looking for him.
The following month, Arenas would have sent SMS to Kats on which the house would be available to welcome, the amount of the rent he wanted to charge and the number of games he planned to host per week. In November 2021, the authorities said, Arenas sent a text to Kats a photo of a poker table garnished in gold with “Arenas Poker Club” printed on it and an image of a basketball player with a jersey with the name “Arenas” and the number zero below.
That year, in December, Kats would have sent an SMS to Arenas saying that he owed $ 14,000 for tables and chairs as starting expenses for the reception of games. This same month, Arenas would have told Kats that he wanted the rake of an illegal poker match to the house going to the mother of a former deceased lover.
The following year, the authorities alleged that Kats said to the Aenas that Tourevski and his partners were ready to host illegal poker matches on Wednesday. In February 2022, Gershman would have sent an SMS to contact on a new place for “Pot Limit Omaha”.
Gershman would have sent text messages coded to women who invite them to work on illegal poker games and in a case asking if a woman was open to engaging in prostitution at home. According to the indictment, Gershman explained to a woman he had billed women by 25% to 35% of their profits by working on the games.
A game at home in July 2022 would have attracted 26 players and more than a dozen staff members, according to the indictment. The armed chiefs, values and security agents would have been hired to provide illegal poker games.
According to the indictment, Arenas sought to recover funds which had been seized in his main chamber by internal security surveys on July 20, 2022. The authorities allege that Arenas wrongly declared that he was not involved in anything who was going on at the party.
The authorities said that Arenas “has knowingly provided game equipment at home Gable to use to organize an illegal poker game on July 19, 2022, knowingly praised the Gable house to be used to organize the illegal poker game on July 19, 2022, and collected rent in the hosts for the operation of an illegal poker game at the Pignon House on July 19, 2022.”
Los Angeles federal prosecutors wrote that when the Arenas House was attacked, “illegal game activities were in full swing”, with detainees or interviewed.
The arenas and other men had to make their first appearance in downtown Wednesday afternoon. Arenas’ lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
Gershman was accused separately from conspiracy with Valentina Cojocari, 35 years old
According to the judicial files of the Los Angeles federal prosecutors, Gershman was sentenced by criminal in Israel, including the conspiracy in order to commit murder and a drug trafficking.
This is not the first time that the Arenas have taken place on the authorities because of the game. In 2009, Javaris Critéon, teammate of the Arenas and Wizards, would have drawn firearms during a cloakroom argument on a card game. The police launched an investigation and Arenas later admitted having had three cannons in his locker. No accusation was filed but it was suspended during most of the 2009-10 NBA season.
Arenas 18 -year -old Alijah was briefly placed in a coma after a serious car accident in Reseda earlier this year. The catworth basketball star and the high-level USC recruit have since recovered. Neither drugs nor alcohol was involved in the accident.
