Ex-NBA star Arenas arrested on charges of hosting illegal poker games / Photo: © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
RYCEF
0.4000
The China Mail - Ex-NBA star Arenas arrested on charges of hosting illegal poker games
USD
-
AED 3.672504
AFN 64.000368
ALL 81.109773
AMD 359.873322
ANG 1.789785
AOA 918.000367
ARS 1528.316696
AUD 1.422678
AWG 1.8025
AZN 1.70397
BAM 1.74477
BBD 2.011597
BDT 123.993042
BGN 1.747831
BHD 0.377091
BIF 2997.279094
BMD 1
BND 1.275971
BOB 12.110264
BRL 5.440104
BSD 0.998796
BTN 94.782997
BWP 13.79901
BYN 2.942058
BYR 19600
BZD 2.008653
CAD 1.39745
CDF 2315.000362
CHF 0.823841
CLF 0.025228
CLP 992.920396
CNY 6.661104
CNH 6.651304
COP 3164.280298
CRC 454.168339
CUC 1
CUP 23.969847
CVE 98.367456
CZK 21.81604
DJF 177.849146
DKK 6.697404
DOP 60.537937
DZD 135.196931
EGP 55.738436
ERN 15
ETB 161.241358
EUR 0.892404
FJD 2.243704
FKP 0.746437
GBP 0.746436
GEL 2.603861
GGP 0.746437
GHS 11.635666
GIP 0.746437
GMD 74.000355
GNF 8839.823364
GTQ 7.635488
GYD 209.349213
HKD 7.84585
HNL 26.845087
HRK 6.76901
HTG 130.853294
HUF 327.940388
IDR 18127.15
ILS 3.14456
IMP 0.746437
INR 94.912504
IQD 1514.072885
IRR 1868415.000352
ISK 121.830386
JEP 0.746437
JMD 158.713591
JOD 0.70904
JPY 157.562504
KES 129.791695
KGS 87.448704
KHR 4075.114858
KMF 441.00035
KPW 899.999961
KRW 1333.420383
KWD 0.31117
KYD 0.83233
KZT 452.856952
LAK 22487.176056
LBP 89438.155136
LKR 332.209287
LRD 169.784558
LSL 16.644543
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 6.420447
MAD 9.82042
MDL 17.877693
MGA 4517.596681
MKD 54.931085
MMK 2099.994593
MNT 3599.692564
MOP 8.070654
MRU 40.499576
MUR 47.280378
MVR 15.450378
MWK 1731.477764
MXN 18.78615
MYR 4.058204
MZN 63.910377
NAD 16.644543
NGN 1346.470377
NIO 36.754539
NOK 9.208504
NPR 151.652616
NZD 1.772422
OMR 0.382702
PAB 0.998885
PEN 3.456889
PGK 4.545252
PHP 63.764504
PKR 276.304474
PLN 3.94725
PYG 5851.286855
QAR 3.64084
RON 4.782204
RSD 104.839645
RUB 80.300995
RWF 1474.374415
SAR 3.7544
SBD 8.058206
SCR 14.652482
SDG 601.503676
SEK 9.826204
SGD 1.278804
SHP 0.748335
SLE 22.903667
SLL 20969.504398
SOS 570.765868
SRD 37.619504
STD 20697.981008
STN 21.856461
SVC 8.739016
SYP 13001.999685
SZL 16.639458
THB 33.723038
TJS 9.193541
TMT 3.5
TND 2.986752
TOP 2.40776
TRY 49.933804
TTD 6.771935
TWD 32.621404
TZS 2646.683617
UAH 45.299969
UGX 4244.613944
UYU 40.153441
UZS 11979.124849
VES 887.479804
VND 25803.5
VUV 119.284453
WST 2.776099
XAF 585.378718
XAG 0.020359
XAU 0.000258029557
XCD 2.70255
XCG 1.799991
XDR 0.707052
XOF 585.378718
XPF 106.3919
YER 236.203589
ZAR 16.719695
ZMK 9001.203584
ZMW 20.14006
ZWL 321.999592
SSP 5745.299168
MXV 2.117302
- Fresh anti-government protest flares in Albania's capital
- Haas sideline Ocon and give 32-year-old Hirakawa F1 debut in Mexico
- Clashes break out as hundreds of thousands protest in France
- Brighton stun Man City, 10-man Man Utd beaten by Chelsea
- German police fire water cannon during tense 'Gen Z' protests
- Erdogan takes Russia, Ukraine to task over Black Sea attacks
- Forced to eat grass, Oleshky evacuees say truce was a 'blessing'
- Leipzig sink Schalke, Fuellkrug's fine form continues
- UK police arrest Palestine Action supporters ahead of Supreme Court hearing
- Germans join Europe's wave of 'Gen Z' protests
Ex-NBA star Arenas arrested on charges of hosting illegal poker games
Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas was arrested Wednesday along with five others on charges of running illegal "high-stakes" poker games at his mansion in the Los Angeles suburbs, US prosecutors said.
The 43-year-old Arenas, who starred for the Washington Wizards, rented out the luxury home that he owned in Encino "for the purposes of hosting high-stakes illegal poker games" between September 2021 and July 2022, according to an indictment unsealed in Los Angeles.
The indictment also alleges the gatherings included young women who received tips to "serve drinks, provide massages, and offer companionship" to players.
Arenas is 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.
Those arrested Wednesday also included 49-year-old Yevgeni Gershman, described as a suspected organized crime figure from Israel, among others.
According to the indictment, an associate of Arenas, Arthur Kats, staged the house for the poker games, recruited co-conspirators and collected rent on Arenas's behalf.
Gershman and the other defendants ran illegal "Pot Limit Omaha" poker games in which players were charged a "rake," either a cut of each pot or a fee per hand.
The women servers were allegedly required to pay some of their tips to the organizers, who also provided chefs, valets and armed guards.
The indictment includes alleged texts between Arenas and Kats in which the games were set up.
Authorities say that in November 2021 Arenas texted Kats a picture of a poker table with "ARENAS POKER CLUB" printed on it along with an image of a basketball player with an "Arenas" jersey.
If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.
Gershman is also charged with conspiring with 35-year-old Valentina Cojocari to enter into a "sham marriage" aimed at obtaining legal permanent residence status in the United States.
Arenas, a three-time NBA All-Star, last played in the NBA in 2012 and played for the Shanghai Sharks in China in 2012-13.
In December 2009 he was involved in an infamous incident with Washington teammate Javaris Crittenton in which both brought guns into the locker room, Arenas saying their dispute stemmed from a card game.
Arenas pleaded guilty to felony gun possession and was suspended for the final 50 games of the 2009-2010 NBA season.
T.Wu--ThChM
