Gilbert Arena’s indictment for alleged illegal poker games NBA star flags potential Israeli gangsters as “agent zero”
former NBA Stargilbert Arena was arrested Wednesday along with five people, including suspected members of an Israeli organized crime group, federal prosecutors said.
All six defendants have been charged with one count conspiracy to run an illegal gambling business and one count of running an illegal gambling business, according to a statement from the U.S. Lawyer’s Office. They were all scheduled for arrest Wednesday afternoon.
The 43-year-old arena is also accused of making false statements to federal agents, the statement said. He was named “Agent Zero” in the indictment. This is the nickname for the day he played with the Washington Wizards.
Arenas appeared in court in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday afternoon and was released on a $50,000 bond after pleading not guilty to the charges. His trial is scheduled for September 23rd.
His attorney Jerome Friedberg said outside the court that he had little time to talk to his clients and could not comment on the case.
“At this point in the incident, he appears to be innocent, right?” Friedberg said. “He has the same rights as other citizens to that presumption, and that’s how he should be treated.”
The other five defendants are Los Angeles residents between the ages of 27 and 52. Among them is a 49-year-old man who prosecutors described him as “a suspected person of Israel’s organized crime.”
According to the indictment, from September 2021 to July 2022, the defendants staged homes around Encino, hosting “Omaha” poker games and other illegal gambling activities. The poker player paid a “rake.” This is a fee charged as a percentage or fixed amount from each hand, court documents allege.
According to prosecutors, one of the defendants hired a young woman who provided drinks, massages in exchange for tips and provided “provided dating” to poker players.
“The women were charged a ‘tax’. This is the percentage of revenue from the game’s work. Chefs, valets and armed security guards were also hired by staff at these illegal poker games,” the statement said.
Israeli men face separate accusations, including marriage fraud and lying to immigration documents. He is suspected of conspiring with a 35-year-old Los Angeles woman to participate in a fake marriage with the aim of achieving permanent legal status in the United States.
If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each Earl, prosecutors said.
The Arena averaged 20.7 points in her 11-year career with four teams, particularly for seven or more seasons in Washington from 2004-11.
Charismatic and mercury arena – “Agent Zero” (representing his number) and “Hibachi” arena were three-time All-Stars, talented scorers and one of the handals of the Weisard team who achieved modest success in the mid-2000s, due to how he was heated up during the game among many nicknames.
But Arenas’ run in Washington ended with disgrace. Arena and teammate Jabaris Crittenton were stopped for balance in the January 2010 NBA season after the locker room incident in which both players pulled guns on each other.
Arena returned to play easily in Washington the following season before being traded to Orlando. He then bounced back to Memphis in 2011 and came off the bench in 17 games before leaving to play for the Chinese Basketball Association in 2012-13. He has never returned to the NBA.
His son, Aliya Arenawas a basketball star at Los Angeles High School, a highly promoted freshman at the University of Southern California. His college career is expected to take several months for pending knee surgery and rehabilitation, the school said last week.