Suspected Israeli crime figure also charged
Gilbert Arenas, the former three-time NBA All-Star and current host of the popular basketball podcast Gil’s Arena, has been arrested for allegedly operating illegal high-stakes poker games out of a California mansion. He is charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business, and one count of making false statements to federal investigators.
In a press release issued Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said that five other men, including Yevgeni Gershman, a suspected Israeli organized crime figure, were also arrested on similar charges.
best stretch was from 2004-2007, when he averaged 27.7 points per game
Arenas played 11 seasons in the NBA, averaging 20.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. His best stretch was from 2004-2007, when he averaged 27.7 points per game, made the All-Star three seasons in a row, made All-NBA teams three times, and received MVP votes.
Team of organizers
According to the USAO, Arenas rented out a mansion he owned in Encino, California to host the poker games. Arthur Kats, who is not one of the other five men charged in the indictment, “staged” the mansion for the games, found people to host the games, and collected rent for Arenas.
Four of Arenas’s co-conspirators – Yevgeni Gershman, Evgenni Tourevski, Allan Austria, and Yarin Cohen – managed the poker games, said to be Pot-Limit Omaha, and collected a rake.
The fifth person charged, Ievgen Krachun, was the chip runner, paid employees, and kept track of players’ wins and losses.
Fully staffed, raked games
The poker games were fully staffed – paid employees served as armed security, chefs, and valets.
There were also young women present, hired by Gershman. In a scenario that sounds sketchy at a minimum, for tips, the women “served drinks, provided massages, and offered companionship to the poker players.”
The women were then charged a percentage of their earnings for the privilege of working the games. While the “companionship” part of the job description sounds odd, the USAO’s press release makes no mention of prostitution.
Gilbert Arenas faces a five-year maximum prison sentence for each count. Home poker games are typically not policed unless there are signs of crimes like violence or drug dealing involved, but an organized, high-stakes, for-profit enterprise like this one will certainly find its way onto law enforcement’s radar.
