Gilbert Arenas was arrested on Wednesday after the Department of Justice filed charges against the former NBA star for running a high-stakes illegal poker game in Los Angeles. Arenas, along with five others, were charged with operating an illegal gambling business, with the group containing an alleged member of an Israeli organized crime syndicate.
Gilbert Arenas arrested for running high stakes poker games including an alleged Israeli mobster
Just in case 2025 wasn’t weird enough.
Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Information about the charges from the DOJ state that Arenas and the five charged organized the game out of an Encino, California mansion owned by Arenas. Here, high-stakes players would bet substantial sums of money, with the organization taking a cut, or “rake” from each hand.
It’s here that the game becomes illegal. Private poker games aren’t explicitly illegal in the United States, but it’s against the law for the house to take a cut of any proceedings. The game was played on a custom poker table emblazoned with “ARENAS POKER CLUB,” complete with an image of Arenas’ No. 0 basketball jersey.
The list of those charged, the alleged crimes, and information about each from the DOJ includes:
- Gilbert Arenas, 43 — Former NBA starOne count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business, one count of making false statements to federal investigators
- Yevgeni Gershman, 49 — Associate, suspected organized crime figure in IsraelOne count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business, one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, one count of marriage fraud, one count of making false statements on an immigration document
- Evgenni Tourevski, 48 — AssociateOne count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business
- Allan Austria, 52 — AssociateOne count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business,
- Yarin Cohen, 27 — AssociateOne count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business,
- Ievgen Krachun, 43 — AssociateOne count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business,
It’s alleged that in addition to the gambling ring, Gershman also entered a “sham marriage” with a United States citizen to gain legal residency in exchange for money, and lying on his immigration paperwork when asked if he had been detained for a crime before, and whether he intended to engage in illegal gambling, or another commercial vice.
All were arrested by LAPD officers on Wednesday without incident. Arenas faces up to five years in prison for the crimes.
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