Gilbert Arenas Proclaims His Innocence in a Jaunty Post to Instagram — What Is He Accused Of?

Back in 2009, Gilbert Arenas was a point guard for the Washington Wizards. This was a great year for the NBA team, which had been on a decent run since the early 2000s. Much of their success during this time was attributed to Arenas, who joined the team in 2003. This was later known as the Gilbert Arenas Era.

Unfortunately, Arenas's time with the Wizards was overshadowed by an incident in December 2009. This is when the point guard admitted to storing firearms in his locker at the Verizon Center, where the Wizards played. It was later reported that Arenas and fellow teammate Javaris Crittenton had drawn guns on each other in the same locker room. He was charged with carrying a pistol without a license. Fast forward 15 years to another arrest for Arenas. Here's what we know.

The Department of Justice has accused Arenas of operating an illegal gambling business in which high-stakes poker games were played out of his mansion in Encino, Calif. Arenas was charged along with five other defendants, one of whom is a suspected high-level member of an Israeli transnational organized crime group.

Arenas has been 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. Also charged and indicted were:

• Yevgeni Gershman, 49, a.k.a. “Giora,” of Woodland Hills; a suspected organized crime figure from Israel;
• Evgenni Tourevski, 48, a.k.a. “Eugene,” of Tarzana;
• Allan Austria, 52, a.k.a. “Elica,” of West Hills;
• Yarin Cohen, 27, a.k.a. “YC,” of Tarzana; and
• Ievgen Krachun, 43, of Tarzana.

The DOJ alleges that Arenas, Gershman, and the other defendants operated an illegal gambling business from September 2021 to July 2022. Arenas rented a mansion in Encino where he allegedly hosted high-stakes poker games, then reportedly directed 51-year-old Arthur Kats of West Hollywood to find "co-conspirators to host the games, and collected rent from the co-conspirators on Arenas’s behalf."

Gershman, Tourevski, Austria, and Cohen allegedly managed "Pot Limit Omaha" poker games, charged a fee to participate, and invited players to compete. Gershman allegedly hired women to serve drinks and provide massages and "companionship" to the players. These women were also charged a percentage of their earnings, known as a "tax."

Immediately following his arrest, Arenas posted a video to Instagram in which the basketball is dancing down a set of stairs while singing, "Can't hold me, baby." In the caption, he wrote, "This ain't got s--t to do with me. Just rented the house. Wasn't apart [sic] of the festivities." He then commented, "Back on the block like it's hot."

An attorney for Arenas told the Associated Press he was still familiarizing himself with the case. "At this point in the case, he is presumed innocent, right?" asked Jerome Friedberg. "He has the same right as any other citizen to that presumption, and that’s how he should be treated." Arenas pleaded guilty and was released on a $50,000 bond. His trial is scheduled for Sept. 23. If convicted, he faces up to five years in a federal prison.