Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas was arrested Wednesday along with five others on charges of running illegal “high-stakes” poker games at his mansion in the Los Angeles suburbs, US prosecutors said. The 43-year-old Arenas, who starred for the Washington Wizards, rented out the luxury home that he owned in Encino “for the purposes of hosting high-stakes illegal poker games” between September 2021 and July 2022, according to an indictment unsealed in Los Angeles.
The indictment also alleges the gatherings included young women who received tips to “serve drinks, provide massages, and offer companionship” to players. 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. At his arraignment in federal court in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon, he pleaded not guilty and was released on $50,000 bond. US Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian set a trial date of September 23.
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Those arrested Wednesday also included 49-year-old Yevgeni Gershman, described as a suspected organized crime figure from Israel. According to the indictment, an associate of Arenas, Arthur Kats, staged the house for the poker games at his direction, recruited co-conspirators, and collected rent on Arenas’s behalf. Gershman and the three other defendants allegedly ran the illegal “Pot Limit Omaha” poker games in which players were charged a “rake,” either a cut of each pot or a fee per hand. The women servers were allegedly required to pay some of their tips to the organizers, who also provided chefs, valets, and armed guards.
The indictment includes alleged texts between Arenas and Kats in which the games were set up. Authorities said that in November 2021, Arenas texted Kats a picture of a poker table with “ARENAS POKER CLUB” printed on it, along with an image of a basketball player with an “Arenas” jersey. If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.
Arenas, a three-time NBA All-Star, last played in the league in 2012 and played for the Shanghai Sharks in China in 2012-13. In December 2009, he was involved in an infamous incident with Washington teammate Javaris Crittenton in which both brought guns into the locker room. Arenas claims their dispute stemmed from a card game. Arenas pleaded guilty to felony gun possession and was suspended for the final 50 games of the 2009-2010 NBA season.
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