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(NewsNation) — Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas is among six people who were arrested on Wednesday on a federal indictment alleging they operated an illegal gambling business.
Arenas, 43, is charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and high-stakes poker games which investigators alllege were held at Arenas' California home.
Arenas, who was known as "Agent Zero" during his pro basketball career, was among the group of defendants who were named in a federal indictment. Among those arrested was a suspected high-level member of an Israeli transational organized crime group, federal prosecutors announced.
Arenas was also charged with one count of operating an illegal gambling business and one count of making false statements to federal investigators. He was scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles.
The other defendants, who were charged in connection with running the illegal gambling business, included:
- Yevgeni Gershman, 49, a.k.a. “Giora,” of Woodland Hills; a suspected organized crime figure from Israel
- Evgenni Tourevski, 48, a.k.a. “Eugene,” of Tarzana;
- Allan Austria, 52, a.k.a. “Elica,” of West Hills;
- Yarin Cohen, 27, a.k.a. “YC,” of Tarzana; and
- Ievgen Krachun, 43, of Tarzana
Who is Gilbert Arenas?
Arenas played 11 years in the NBA after he was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. A three-time All-Star, Arenas moved into a starring role with the Washington Wizards, and averaged 27.7 points and 5.7 assists between 2004-2007 before his career was slowed by injuries.
Gilbert Arenas' incident with gun in locker room
During the 2009-10 NBA season, Arenas played in just 32 games due to a suspension stemming from a suspension after he was found to have brought empty guns into the Wizards locker room over an argument linked to gambling debts. League officials said the incident reportedly began during a high-stakes card game.
Arenas, who later played for the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic, retired from the NBA after the 2011-12 season.
What is Gilbert Arenas accused of?
Arenas and his fellow defendants are accused of operating an illegal gambling business between September 2021 and July 2022, according to the indictment, which was unsealed on Wednesday. Prosecutors allege that Arenas ran the high-stakes poker games out of a mansion in Encino .
A West Hollywood man, Arthur Kats, 51, staged the mansion under Arenas' direction to host the card games, found co-conspirators to run the games and collected rent from the co-conspirators on the former NBA star's behalf, prosecutors said.
The indictment indicated that Gershman hired young women who, in exchange for tips, served drinks, provided massages and offered companionship to players in the card games. The women were charged "a t tax" which involved a percentage of the earnings they made from working the games, federal officials allege.
Chefs, valets, and armed security guards were also hired as staff during the high-stakes poker games.
If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.
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