Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arena was arrested Wednesday along with five other men on allegedly conspiracy charges running an illegal “high stakes” poker game in Encino, including hiring women to provide “dating” to gamblers, court records show.
According to a news release issued by the US Lawyer’s Office in Los Angeles, Arenas, 43, rented an Encino Mansion that she owned between September 2021 and July 2022 “with the aim of hosting illegal high-stakes poker games.” Prosecutors who claimed in court records were charged “rakes” or taxes in addition to players betting on various pots.
The arena best known of his time as a wizard guard in Washington is identified in court records by his nickname “Agent Zero.” He last played professionally in China in 2013.
The person indicted alongside the arena was Yevgenigershman, 49, of Woodland Hills. 48-year-old Evgenni Tourevski of Alan, West Hills, Tarzana, Austria. Yarin Cohen, 27, of Tarzana and Yebgen Krachun, 43, of Tarzana. Prosecutors described Gershman as “a suspected person of organized crime” in Israel.
Prosecutors said Gershmann, Tuyevsky, Austria and Cohen managed the poker game. According to the accusations, Gershman also allegedly hired a young woman to provide drinks, massages and “dating” to players.
According to the indictment, the game began to come together in September 2021. Kats texted the arena asking if he was planning to play his game, the record shows. The arena is said to have replied, “I might throw a PLO game at my house.”
The following month, Arenas allegedly texted Kat about the date the house could host, the rent he wanted to charge, and how many games he was planning to host in the week. In November 2021, authorities said the arena texted a photo of a gold cropped poker table with the “Arenas Poker Club” printed on it, as well as an image of a basketball player with a jersey named “Arenas” and a zero number below it.
That year, in December, Kats reportedly texted the arena, stating that he owed $14,000 for tables and chairs in startup costs to host the game. That same month, Arenas allegedly told Kats that she wanted a rake from the house’s illegal poker game to go to the mother of the deceased ex-lovers.
The arena is scheduled to make its first appearance in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday afternoon. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prosecutors said Gershman was accused of conspired with 35-year-old Valentina Kohokari to enter into a “fake marriage” in order to enter into a “fake marriage.”
This is not the first time the arena has violated the authorities for gambling. In 2009, the Arena and then Wizard teammate Javalis Crittenton allegedly pulled guns at each other during discussions in the locker room of a card game. Police began an investigation and later admitted that the arena had three guns in his locker. No charges were made, but he was suspended for most of the 2009-2010 NBA season.
Arenas’ 18-year-old son, Alija, was temporarily placed in coma after a serious car accident at Receda earlier this year. Chatsworth’s basketball standout and recruits at the top-tier University of Southern California have since recovered. Neither drugs nor alcohol were involved in the crash.
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