WOODLAND HILLS—On July 30, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE) issued a press release announcing the arrest of former NBA great, Gilbert Arenas, and a suspected Israeli crime figure, and four others who were all named in an indictment stemming from high-stakes poker games that took place at the Encino Mansion.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, issued a press release on July 30, as well, naming all of the suspects arrested:
Arenas, 43, aka “Agent Zero,” of Woodland Hills, 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.”
Reports indicate Arenas pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him. His next court date is scheduled for September 23rd.
Yevgeni Gershman, 49, aka “Giora,” of Woodland Hills, is a suspect reportedly involved in organized crime in Israel.
Evgenni Tourevski, 48, aka “Eugene,” of Tarzana
Allan Austria, 52, aka “Elica,” of West Hills
Yarin Cohen, 27, aka “YC, of Tarzana
Levgen Krachun, 43, of Tarzana
The following came directly from the aforementioned press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office:
“Each of these defendants is charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and one count of operating an illegal gambling business. Their initial appearances and arraignments are scheduled for this afternoon in the United States District Court in Los Angeles.”
According to the indictment returned on July 15 and unsealed today, from September 2021 to July 2022, Gershman, Arenas, and the other defendants operated an illegal gambling business. Arenas allegedly rented out an Encino mansion he owned to host high-stakes illegal poker games.
There is more information in extraordinary detail on the U.S. Attorney’s website that discloses an elaborate gambling business with hired help, Chefs, and a woman who gave massages and was there to “keep the men company.”
Two of the suspects were charged with arranging a false marriage in an attempt for one of the gambling partners to gain U.S. citizenship.
If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.
Gilbert Arenas was 32 games into the 2009-2010 season when he was reportedly suspended over unloaded guns brought into the team’s locker room after some unpaid debts in a high-stakes poker game. He played his last game in 2012, though he remains a sports figure through social media, talk shows, interviews, and podcasts.
