Overview

• A federal indictment charges Arenas with one count each of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, operating that business and making false statements to investigators.
• Prosecutors allege the group ran high-stakes poker games at Arenas’s Encino mansion from September 2021 through July 2022 with luxury amenities and a house “rake” system.
• Yevgeni Gershman is identified as a suspected Israeli crime figure accused of hiring staff and levying taxes on workers while facing separate marriage fraud and immigration charges alongside Valentina Cojocari.
• Homeland Security Investigations, the LAPD Major Crimes Division and IRS Criminal Investigation led the joint probe that culminated in the unsealed indictment.
• Each count carries a statutory maximum sentence of up to five years in federal prison if the defendants are convicted.