Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, once known by his nicknames “Agent Zero” and “Hibachi,” was arrested Wednesday on federal charges connecting him to a high-stakes illegal gambling operation.
The gambling scheme was allegedly run out of an upscale Encino mansion owned by the former NBA player, and linked to a high-level crime group from Israel, according to the Department of Justice.
Arenas, 43, was a three-time All-Star during his time with the Washington Wizards, who now faces three federal charges: conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, operating an illegal gambling business, and making false statements to federal investigators.
However, this isn’t Arenas’ first time being arrested on federal felony charges.
In 2009, Arenas brought multiple guns into the Washington Wizards locker room during a dispute with teammate Javaris Crittenton over a card game, leading to a tense standoff, per the NBA. Arenas pleaded guilty to felony gun possession and was sentenced to probation and time in a halfway house, while both players were suspended for the rest of the season.
Arenas’ NBA career never fully recovered after the gun charges.
Now, according to a recently unsealed federal indictment from the DOJ, Arenas and his co-defendants ran illegal high-stakes poker games out of his Encino property from September 2021 to July 2022. The group allegedly collected profits from the games through a “rake” – a fee for each hand played.
Among those arrested was Yevgeni Gershman, 49, also known as “Giora,” described by federal authorities as a suspected member of a transnational organized crime group based in Israel. Prosecutors claim that Gershman managed the operation alongside other defendants: Evgenni Tourevski, Allan Austria, Yarin Cohen, and Ievgen Krachun, all of whom face two charges each related to the illegal gambling scheme.
Court documents describe a full-service gambling environment at the mansion, with chefs, valets, and armed security guards supporting the covert casino-style operation. Women were allegedly hired to serve drinks and offer “companionship,” earning tips that were then “taxed” by Arenas and the other organizers.
Krachun, 43, was identified as a “chip runner” responsible for tracking wins, distributing chips, and paying staff.
Arenas stands accused of renting the mansion to host the events and telling his associate Arthur Kats to help coordinate the scheme, which included recruiting co-conspirators and collecting other types of payments tied to the gambling operation.
In a separate but connected case, Gershman and Valentina Cojocari, 35, were also charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud, and making false statements on immigration documents, according to the DOJ. Prosecutors say Gershman, an Israeli citizen, entered into a sham marriage with Cojocari in early 2022 to gain legal permanent residency in the U.S.
All defendants were scheduled to appear for initial arraignments on Wednesday in a District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
If convicted, each charge carries a statutory maximum of five years in federal prison. However, that sentencing time could potentially be bigger for Arenas, due to his prior federal gun convictions stemming from the Wizards locker-room altercation.
“Hibachi” might be cooked, in the legal sense.