Gilbert Arenas arrested for allegedly running illegal poker game

Gilbert Arenas was arrested on Wednesday for his involvement in an illegal gambling business. 

The three-time NBA All-Star was charged in a federal indictment alongside five others, including Yevgeni Gershman, an alleged member of an Israeli transnational organized crime group, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The group allegedly held illegal high-stakes poker games at Arenas’ Encino, Calif., mansion.

Arenas is being 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, the release stated, and will be arraigned in the United States District Court in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The other four defendants include Evgenni Tourevski of Tarzana, Allan Austria of West Hills, 
Yarin Cohen of Tarzana, and Ievgen Krachun of Tarzana.

Arenas allegedly rented out his Encino mansion during the period from September 2021 to July 2022 for illegal gambling. 

The “Gil’s Arena” podcast host is said to have directed a man named Arthur Kats to stage “the mansion to host the games, [find] co-conspirators to host the games, and [collect] rent from the co-conspirators on Arenas’ behalf,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office found. 

Gershman, Tourevski, Austria, and Cohen are accused of managing “illegal ‘Pot Limit Omaha’ poker games, among other illegal games, at the Encino mansion, [collecting] a ‘rake’ – a fee the house charged from each pot either as a percentage or a fixed amount per hand – and [inviting] players to compete,” prosecutors wrote. 

Young women were allegedly hired by Gershman and worked for tips, serving drinks, providing massages and offering “companionship to the poker players.”

The women were reportedly charged a tax from their earnings at the game.

They also hired staff, including chefs, valets and armed security guards for the outings.

Krachun was found to have worked as a chip runner in the gambling scheme, tracking betting wins and losses, distributing poker chips to players, and paying the employees.