A former NBA All-star has been arrested alongside five others over a “high stakes” illegal poker ring at his Los Angeles mansion.
Gilbert Arenas, who played for teams including the Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and Golden State Warriors, was arrested Wednesday and faces federal charges over the arrangement at his residence in Encino, California.
The 43-year-old 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.
He made his initial appearance and was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
Arenas was charged alongside five defendants, who included Yevgeni Gershman, a suspected high-level member of an Israeli transnational organized crime group, according to the California Attorney General’s office.
Also charged was Evgenni Tourevski, 48, Allan Austria, 52, Yarin Cohen, 27, and Ievgen Krachun, 43.
Each defendant is charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and one count of operating an illegal gambling business. If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.
According to the recently unsealed indictment, from September 2021 to July 2022, Gershman, Arenas, and the other defendants operated an illegal gambling business.
Arenas “rented out an Encino mansion he owned for the purpose of hosting high-stakes illegal poker games,” the AG said in a press release, adding that at Arenas’ direction, Arthur Kats, 51, of West Hollywood, staged the mansion to host the games.
Kats also found co-conspirators to host the games, and collected rent from the co-conspirators on Arenas’ behalf, the release added.
Gershman hired young women who, in exchange for tips, served drinks, provided massages, and offered companionship to the poker players. These women were charged a “tax” – a percentage of their earnings from working the games.
Chefs, valets, and armed security guards also were hired to staff these illegal poker games.
Krachun worked as a “chip runner,” in which he tracked players’ wins and losses, distributed poker chips to players, and paid employees.
Gershman, an Israeli citizen, is charged along with Valentina Cojocari, 35, with three additional counts – conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud, and making a false statement on an immigration document.
In early 2022, Gershman conspired with Cojocari to enter into a sham marriage for the purposes of obtaining permanent legal status in the United States and lied to immigration authorities to procure legal status for Gershman, who provided financial support to Cojocari in exchange for her participation in the sham marriage.
Like the others, Cojocari was arrested Wednesday and was also scheduled to appear in court.
