Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas and suspected Israeli crime determine arrested in high-stakes unlawful poker empire at California mansion, prosecutors mentioned

According to court records, a cornerstone of the illegal poker games was the home Arenas owned on Gable Drive in Encino. Authorities alleged Arenas rented out the estate, which was then staged as a high-end poker den featuring Pot-Limit Omaha, a game similar to Texas Hold ‘em. The poker nights allegedly featured hired chefs, armed guards, valets and a custom felt-topped poker table with “Arenas Poker Club” embossed in all-caps and black and gold. 

The indictment alleges that one man in the crew, Israeli suspected organized crime figure Yevgeni Gershman, hired women to work at the games. In exchange for tips, the women served cocktails, provided massages and offered “companionship” to poker players, the indictment states. The women were then required to pay a “tax” of 25% to 35% of their earnings just to be able to work at the games, authorities claim. 

Prosecutors alleged Gershman in May 2022 texted a woman to ask her, in code, “whether she was open to engaging in prostitution at his illegal poker game at the Gable House that night.”

Attempts to reach Arenas and Gershman were unsuccessful.

Arenas played in the NBA for 11 seasons on teams such as the Wizards, Golden State Warriors, and Orlando Magic. Following his basketball career, he launched a second act in business, hosting a podcast, No chill with Gilbert Arenas, after starting his own media company with the same name. He also streams a YouTube show weekly that includes NBA personalities, and he’s made multiple investments in real estate ventures in California and Virginia. Arenas married French YouTuber and singer Melli Monaco this year. 

Prosecutors claim the poker games differed from friendly card-game nights because the house collected a “rake,” which is a percentage or fixed fee from each pot. The games involved roughly two dozen players and more than a dozen staff members to facilitate illegal gambling, prosecutors said, and operated from September 2021 through July 2022. 

The indictment lays out a complicated allegedly criminal enterprise centering around the games. Gershman, 49, allegedly handled the day-to-day, while Arenas allegedly collected rent and fees through an agent. West Hollywood man Arthur Kats, 51, allegedly served as the go-between, authorities said, collecting thousands of dollars in rent payments and setting up the house for game nights. Four others were charged, according to court documents, including Evgenni Tourevski, 48, of Tarzana; Allan Austria, 52, of West Hills; Yarin Cohen, 27, of Tarzana; and Ievgen Krachun, 43, of Tarzana. The indictment states that crew allegedly managed the actual operations, recruiting players and handling money. 

Authorities said Tourevski allegedly handled dealers, texting contacts in his phone saved as “Frankie Poker Dealer” and “Dealer Poker” to arrange croupiers for the table games. Austria allegedly managed security, bringing in armed guards and texting photos of games while they were in progress. Cohen allegedly handled the finances, texting the others with data showing the amounts of the rakes, “taxes,” and expenses, the indictment states. Krachun allegedly worked as a “chip runner” who tracked wins and losses, distributed poker chips, and paid workers, court records show. 

Federal agents raided the Encino mansion in July 2022, the indictment states, and Arenas allegedly tried, at that point, to distance himself from the poker games. In a petition to recover money seized in the raid, Arenas claimed he “was not involved in whatever was going on at the party.”

The indictment includes text messages allegedly showing that Arenas was aware of pot-limit Omaha games and that he at one point contemplated filming a YouTube episode at one of the games for his channel, Gil’s Arena, which has more than 1 million subscribers. 

The defendants face five years on each of the charges.

Tourevski, Austria, Cohen, Kats, and Krachun could not be reached for comment.