Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas and five other defendants, including a suspected high-level member of an Israeli transnational organized crime group, were arrested on charges of allegedly running an illegal gambling business at an Encino, California, mansion that the former player owns.
On Wednesday, Arenas and five other defendants were arrested on a federal indictment alleging they operated an illegal operation in which high-stakes poker games were played at the California mansion Arenas is alleged to have owned.
Arenas, of Woodland Hills, is named as “Agent Zero” in the indictment, and is now 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.
According to the United States Attorney for the Central District of California, the five others charged in the indictment and arrested on Wednesday in connection with the illegal gambling business charges are:
- Yevgeni Gershman, 49, a.k.a. “Giora,” of Woodland Hills, a suspected organized crime figure from Israel
- Evgenni Tourevski, 48, a.k.a. “Eugene,” of Tarzana
- Allan Austria, 52, a.k.a. “Elica,” of West Hills
- Yarin Cohen, 27, a.k.a. “YC,” of Tarzana
- Ievgen Krachun, 43, of Tarzana
The five defendants accused of participating in the illegal gaming scheme have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and one count of operating an illegal gambling business. Arenas and the others accused in the indictment made their initial appearance on Wednesday in the United States District Court in Los Angeles.
According to the indictment returned on July 15 and unsealed on Wednesday, from September 2021 to July 2022, Gershman, Arenas, and the other defendants operated an illegal gambling business. The business, according to the indictment, was operated at an Encino mansion owned by Arenas and rented out to the group for the purpose of hosting high-stakes illegal poker games, the indictment alleges. At Arenas’ direction, Arthur Kats, 51, of West Hollywood, allegedly staged the mansion to host the games, found co-conspirators to host the games, and collected rent from the co-conspirators on Arenas’ behalf.
According to investigators, Gershman, Tourevski, Austria, and Cohen managed illegal “Pot Limit Omaha” poker games, among other illegal games, at the Encino mansion, collected a “rake” – a fee the house charged from each pot either as a percentage or a fixed amount per hand – and invited players to compete.
The indictment alleges associate Gershman hired young women who, in exchange for tips, served drinks, provided massages, and offered companionship to the poker players. The women were charged a “tax” – a percentage of their earnings from working the games. Chefs, valets, and armed security guards were also hired to staff these illegal poker games, prosecutors allege.
Investigators allege associate Krachun worked as a “chip runner,” in which he tracked players’ wins and losses, distributed poker chips to players, and paid employees for their participation in the illegal gambling operation.
Gershman, an Israeli citizen, is also charged along with 35-year-old Valentina Cojocari, of Woodland Hills, with three additional counts that include conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud, and making a false statement on an immigration document. The indictment alleges Gershman conspired with Cojocari to enter a sham marriage to obtain permanent legal status in the United States and lied to immigration authorities to procure legal status for Gershman in 2022.
Investigators allege Gershman and Cojocari submitted false information on their U.S. immigration forms, including Gershman’s answers of “no” as to whether he had ever been detained by any law enforcement official and as to whether he intended to engage in illegal gambling or any other form of commercialized vice.
In addition to Arenas and the five associates arrested for their suspected involvement in the illegal gambling scheme, Cojocari was also arrested and made her initial appearance in United States District Court in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Arenas was quick to post a video on social media of his release after posting a $50,000 bond on Wednesday. In the video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Arenas was seen dancing down the courthouse steps saying, “They can’t hold me baby”.
Arenas, a former NBA All-Star, played 11 seasons with the Washington Wizards. If convicted, Arenas and the other defendants charged with operating the illegal gambling venture could face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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