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Gilbert Arenas, the flamboyant and outspoken former NBA star, has been arrested for running a gambling ring inside his home, the media has reported.

Arenas is not new to skirting rules and laws.

Arenas, who was once banished from the NBA for gambling on a plane and then brandishing a firearm in the locker room when the debt wasn’t paid to him, was apprehended and charged with running a high-stakes poker tournament out of his mansion in Encino, Calif., about 20 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

High-stakes gambling

According to the documents obtained by People magazine, the controversial former NBA guard, 43, has been 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.

Along with Arenas, the following individuals have all been arrested by agents within the U.S. Department of Justice, including a reported member of an Israeli mob:

  • Yevgeni Gershman, 49, of Woodland Hills, a suspected organized crime figure from Israel;
  • Evgenni Tourevski, 48, of Tarzana;
  • Allan Austria, 52, of West Hills;
  • Yarin Cohen, 27, of Tarzana;
  • Ievgen Krachun, 43, of Tarzana.

How the illicit games were run

Federal prosecutors allege that Arenas, who is the founder and operator of his popular “Gil’s Arenas” podcast after his NBA retirement, had rented out his palatial home to the individuals who set up the spot to run the high-stakes illegal poker games.

Arenas was given a percentage of the money earned, the documents state, in an illicit gambling operation that was run by a 51-year-old man named Arthur Kats. In the documents, Kats “staged the mansion to host the games, found co-conspirators to host the games, and collected rent from the co-conspirators on Arenas’ behalf” from September 2021 to July 2022.

The legal documents name Gershman as the mastermind of the operation with Arenas. He has been arrested and charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and one count of operating an illegal gambling business, according to the filing.

An alleged co-conspirator also faces deportation

Additionally, the feds have charged Gershman with being an Israeli crime syndicate member and have hit him with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud, and making a false statement on an immigration document in order to gain permanent citizenship. The person he allegedly colluded with to forge false information on the immigration document, 35-year-old Valentina Cojocari of Woodland Hills, was charged with the same crimes as Gershman on the supposed marriage sham.

Arenas oversaw the operation as Gershman, Tourevski, Austria and Cohen managed the games and collected fees from the participants.

The Justice Department said Arenas’ gambling ring was elaborate and well-designed. Young women were hired to serve drinks, provide massages, and “offer companionship” to the poker players. Much like in a strip club, the women were charged a percentage of their earnings from working the games.

Arenas and his co-conspirators also hired chefs, valets and armed security guards to work the games.

Krachun was allegedly the “runner” and office manager who distributed the poker chips, kept count of the wins and losses, paid the employees, and handled other administrative duties.

According to the laws of California, the defendants face up to five years in prison on each count if convicted.