Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas has been indicted on federal charges stemming from an illegal high-stakes gambling ring that operated out of a Los Angeles mansion he owned, US authorities announced on Tuesday.
Arenas, 43, who starred for the Washington Wizards and was known as Agent Zero during his playing career, was arrested alongside five other defendants, including a man federal officials describe as a suspected high-level member of an Israeli organized crime group.
The indictment, unsealed in Los Angeles, accuses the six men of running an illicit gambling operation from September 2021 to July 2022 in the wealthy suburb of Encino. According to prosecutors, Arenas rented out the mansion for poker games and instructed an associate to stage the venue, recruit hosts and collect rent on his behalf.
Those games, authorities said, were not ordinary house poker nights. The gatherings featured ‘Pot Limit Omaha’ and other formats with players charged a rake, either a cut of each pot or a flat fee per hand. Prosecutors allege the events were staffed with chefs, armed guards, valets and young women who served drinks, provided massages and offered companionship in exchange for tips. The women were reportedly required to pay a “tax” on their earnings to the organizers.
The defendants arrested alongside Arenas were named as Yevgeni Gershman, 49, of Woodland Hills – described by prosecutors as an Israeli national linked to transnational organized crime – as well as Evgenni Tourevski, 48; Allan Austria, 52; Yarin Cohen, 27; and Ievgen Krachun, 43. All face charges of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and operating an illegal gambling business. Arenas is also charged with making false statements to federal investigators.
Authorities say Gershman played a central role in managing the gambling operation, overseeing logistics and staff. Krachun is accused of working as a “chip runner”, tracking players’ wins and losses and paying employees.
Gershman faces additional charges related to an alleged sham marriage designed to secure US residency. Prosecutors say he conspired with Valentina Cojocari, 35, of Woodland Hills, to submit fraudulent immigration documents and lied about his criminal background and gambling activity. Both face charges of marriage fraud, conspiracy and false statements on immigration forms. Cojocari was also arrested Tuesday.
All eight defendants were scheduled to make their initial court appearances on Tuesday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles.
If convicted, the defendants face up to five years in federal prison for each count. The case is being prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office’s Transnational Organized Crime Section, with support from Homeland Security Investigations, the LAPD and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.
Arenas, who last played in the NBA in 2012, has remained a public figure through podcasting and commentary, often playing up his controversial persona. The indictment comes just months after the May release of Untold: Shooting Guards, a Netflix documentary that spends considerable time recapping his tumultuous career. The film focuses on the infamous 2009 locker room incident involving Arenas and Washington Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton, who brought guns into the team’s facility following a gambling dispute over a card game. Featuring interviews with both players, as well as former teammates and insiders, the documentary charts the fallout from the scandal, which led to suspensions, criminal charges and the eventual derailment of both men’s basketball careers.
Near the end of the documentary, Arenas explains to the cameras how much he’s changed from his playing days. “Agent Zero, I’m no longer that dude,” Arenas said. “It’s scary, but as a parent, what I get to do now is instill everything I went through and say, ‘I fell into that hole, I did all these things, and I’ve learned from it so you can be better.’”
