Former NBA Star Gilbert Arenas accused of running illegal poker games
The three-time All-Star, who has been involved in other controversies, was released on bail after his arrest in California.
Gilbert Arenas, during a game with the Washington Wizards in 2010.
Former NBA player and three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas was arrested after allegedly organizing illegal poker games at his home in Encino, California.
On Wednesday, as part of a judicial investigation, Arenas was arrested along with five others, including Yevgeni Gershman, an alleged member of Israeli organized crime.
After being taken to police headquarters, Arenas gave a statement and was released on bail of $50,000, AFP reported.
According to the indictment, Arenas rented his home between September 2021 and July 2022 "for the purpose of hosting illegal high-stakes poker games."
He added that the games involved young women who were paid to serve drinks, provide massages, and keep the players company.
Jacqueline Chooljian, the investigating judge in the case, scheduled Arenas’s trial for September 23. He is charged with operating an illegal gambling business and making false statements to federal investigators, offenses that each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
This is not Arenas’s first legal trouble. In 2009, the former NBA player pleaded guilty to weapons possession after bringing a handgun into the Washington Wizards’ locker room, earning a 50-game suspension.
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