Nationwide — Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas was arrested Wednesday following a federal indictment accusing him of internet hosting unlawful high-stakes poker video games at his Encino, California, mansion. The U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for Central California introduced that Arenas faces three severe prices: conspiracy to function an unlawful playing enterprise, working an unlawful playing enterprise, and making false statements to federal investigators.
Arenas, 43, appeared in U.S. District Courtroom in downtown Los Angeles, the place he pleaded not responsible and was launched on a $50,000 bond. His trial is scheduled to start on September 23. His legal professional, Jerome Friedberg, mentioned he had solely briefly spoken with Arenas and declined to touch upon the specifics of the case. “At this level within the case, he’s presumed harmless, proper?” Friedberg mentioned. “He has the identical proper as every other citizen to that presumption, and that’s how he ought to be handled.”
In accordance with ESPN, the indictment additionally named Yevgeni “Giora” Gershman, who prosecutors allege is a senior member of an Israeli organized crime ring, together with 4 different people. Authorities say the unlawful playing operation ran from September 2021 via July 2022, and that Arenas allowed his property for use for the poker video games. Prosecutors allege an affiliate of Arenas staged the mansion, organized the occasions, and picked up hire from co-conspirators on Arenas’ behalf.
The indictment describes the video games—primarily “Pot Restrict Omaha”—as profit-generating occasions that took a proportion from every pot. The group is claimed to have employed cooks, valets, and armed safety to handle the occasions, in addition to younger ladies who served drinks, gave massages, and supplied companionship for ideas. Prosecutors declare that even the servers’ ideas had been partially skimmed by the organizers.
To this point, federal authorities haven’t disclosed who the individuals in these video games had been, and the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace has declined to remark additional on the continuing investigation.
This isn’t Arenas’ first brush with controversy tied to playing. In 2009, he was concerned in a extremely publicized locker room incident with then-teammate Javaris Crittenton, which stemmed from a disagreement over a card sport throughout a group flight. The altercation concerned firearms and led to suspensions for each gamers.
Arenas, who final performed within the NBA in 2012 with the Memphis Grizzlies, had a notable profession that included three All-Star alternatives and a profession common of 20.7 factors per sport over 11 seasons with the Wizards, Warriors, Magic, and Grizzlies.
