Gilbert Arenas Arrested in Connection With Alleged Illegal Poker Ring

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas and five other people were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly running illegal poker games out of Arenas' California home, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Attorney’s Office, Central District of California said.

According to the court papers, Arenas 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.

The five other people arrested include Evgenni Tourevski, Allan Austria, Yarin Cohen, Ievgen Krachun, and Yevgeni Gershman, a “suspected organized crime figure from Israel.”

According to court papers, from about from September 2021 to July 2022, Arenas and the others rented out a mansion in Encino, California, “for the purpose of hosting illegal poker games.”

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“Defendant KATS, at defendant ARENAS’s direction, would stage the Gable House to host illegal poker games, find co-conspirators to host illegal poker games at the Gable House, and collect rent from the co-conspirators on defendant ARENAS’s behalf,” the court documents read.

According to a press release, Gershman, Tourevski, Austria, and Cohen operated illegal “Pot Limit Omaha” poker games and collected a “rake” on them. A rake is a fee the house charges from each pool of money as a percentage or fixed amount.

“Gershman hired young women who, in exchange for tips, served drinks, provided massages, and offered companionship to the poker players,” the release said. “The 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.”

If found guilty, Arenas and others face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.

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