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Ex-NBA Star Gilbert Arenas Arrested for Allegedly Operating Illegal Gambling Business

Five others were also arrested on similar counts.

Madison Williams

Gilbert Arenas was arrested on Wednesday.
Gilbert Arenas was arrested on Wednesday. / Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas was arrested on Wednesday, along with five others, on a federal indictment alleging the group "operated an illegal gambling business in which high-stakes poker games were played at an Encino mansion Arenas owned," ABC investigator Mike Levine reported.

One of the other five members is a "suspected high-level member of an Israeli transnational organized crime group," Levine added.

Arenas's counts include one on "conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business," one on actually operating that illegal gambling business and one on making false statements to the federal investigators. Arenas will be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles.

The Department of Justice released an official statement regarding the arresting of Arenas and the five other people.

The Department of Justice's release included more details about the situation. The statement alleges that Arenas owned an Encino mansion that he rented out to the others to host illegal poker games, and had another person host the games, find co-conspirators to help and collect rent for Arenas.

Four of the suspects—Yevgeni Gershman of Israel, Evgenni Tourevski, Allan Austria and Yarin Cohen—are alleged to have managed poker games and collected a portion of the pot, also known as a “rake,” from the participants of the games.

Gershman, who is the suspected member of the Israeli transnational organized crime group, also allegedly hired young women to serve drinks, give massages and accompany the participants in order to earn tips. There were also chefs, valets and armed security guards hired during the poker games.

Arenas played in the NBA from 2001-12, competing on four different teams in his career. He was nicknamed "Agent Zero" after sporting the No. 0 on the Wizards.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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