Former NBA Star Gilbert Arenas Arrested for Running Illegal Poker Games

Key Arrests and Charges

The United States Department of Justice announced the arrest of Gilbert Arenas, a former NBA player, and five other individuals for operating an illegal poker business with high stakes at risk.

Among the detainees is Yevgeni Gershman, also known as ‘Giora’, an alleged member of the organized crime syndicate in Israel.

Operation Details and Charges

The games, operated between September 2021 and July 2022, took place in a mansion owned by Arenas in Encino, Los Angeles, California. Gershman and three others – Evgenni Tourevski, Allan Austria, and Yarin Cohen – managed the operations, hiring staff and security.

The games included high-risk ‘No Limit Omaha’ and other unspecified illegal games. The clients remain unidentified by the Department of Justice.

Proceedings and Previous Incident

The detainees are expecting to appear before a federal judge in Los Angeles later today. Each faces a maximum penalty of five years in jail if convicted. This is not Arenas’ first brush with the law; in 2009, he was suspended from the NBA after bringing a gun to the locker room while playing for the Washington Wizards.

Arenas’ Career and Decline

Arenas’ career, which spanned 11 seasons in the NBA, declined rapidly following the 2009 suspension. His last games in the league were played for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012.