Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas and an alleged organized crime figure were running a high-end illegal poker game out of Arenas’s California mansion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Arenas and Yevgeni Gershman—whom prosecutors called “a suspected organized crime figure from Israel”—along with four others, were charged with running an illegal gambling business in a 24-page indictment. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California say the group rented out Arenas’s mansion to host “high-stakes illegal poker games” including “Pot Limit Omaha.” The indictment says they charged a “rake,” or a fee from each pot, and hired chefs, valets, armed security, and “young women who…would serve drinks, provide massages, and offer companionship to players.”
The women worked in exchange for tips, but the group took cuts from that, the document says. Members of the indicted group had nicknames, prosecutors noted. Arenas went by his NBA nickname, “Agent Zero.”
Included in the indictment is a photo of a poker table covered in the words “Arenas Poker Club” with a photo of a basketball player with “Arenas” on his jersey wearing No. 0. Arenas spent 11 seasons in the NBA with the Warriors, Wizards, Magic, and Grizzlies. He last played in the league in 2012.
All five of the defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and another count of operating an illegal gambling business. Arenas faces an additional count of making false statements to federal investigators. Along with Arenas and Gershman, the other individuals charged are Evgenni Tourevski, Allan Austria, Yarin Cohen, and Ievgen Krachun.
Gershman also faces three more counts for arranging a “sham marriage” in which the Israeli citizen paid a woman named Valentina Cojocari to give him legal residency in the U.S. Prosecutors say the pair also lied to immigration officials about their relationship, including that they were living together. Both Gershman and Cojocari are charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud, and making a false statement on an immigration document. (Cojocari is not charged with participation in the gambling operation.)
Each of the counts has a maximum sentence of five years.
Arenas pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles. He was released on a $50,000 bond and his trial is set for Sept. 23.
The former NBA player posted a video to his social media Wednesday night in which he walks away from federal district court, a woman in the background saying, “You’re free,” and Arenas saying “They can’t hold me.” He captioned the post: “Im Back on the Streets…This aint got shyt to do with me ‘ just rented the house’ Wasnt apart.”
Arenas’s son, Alijah, made headlines earlier this summer after the incoming USC freshman crashed his Tesla Cybertruck into a tree. He said the car’s technology stopped responding and he was trapped in the burning car for close to 10 minutes before he kicked his way out. USC said the younger Arenas will miss 6–8 months recovering from knee surgery.
