Gilbert Arenas indictment over alleged illegal poker game names former NBA star as ‘Agent Zero,’ flags potential Israeli gangster
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The other five defendants are LA residents aged 27 to 52. Among them is a 49-year-old man described by prosecutors as “a suspected organized crime figure from Israel.”
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July 31, 2025
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Arts & Entertainment·CrimeGilbert Arenas indictment over alleged illegal poker game names former NBA star as ‘Agent Zero,’ flags potential Israeli gangsterBy The Associated PressBy The Associated Press Gilbert Arenas.AP Photo/Nick Wass, FileFormer NBA star Gilbert Arenas was arrested Wednesday along with five other people, including a suspected member of an Israeli organized crime group, on suspicion of hosting illegal high-stakes poker games at a Los Angeles mansion owned by Arenas, federal secutors said
All six defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling and one count of operating an illegal gambling , according to a statement from the U.S
They were all scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon
Arenas, 43, is also charged with making false statements to federal investigators, the statement said
He is named in the indictment as ”Agent Zero,” a nickname from his playing days with the Washington Wizards
Arenas appeared in court Wednesday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles and was released on a $50,000 bond after pleading not guilty to the charges
His trial is scheduled for Sept. 23
His attorney Jerome Friedberg said outside the courthouse that he hadn’t had much time to speak with his client and couldn’t on the case. “At this point in the case, he is presumed innocent, right?” Friedberg said. “He has the same right as any other citizen to that presumption and that’s how he should be treated.” The other five defendants are residents of Los Angeles ranging in age from 27 to 52
Among them is a 49-year-old man described by secutors as “a suspected organized crime figure from Israel.” The indictment says that from September 2021 to July 2022, the defendants staged the in the Encino neighborhood to host “Pot Limit Omaha” poker games and other illegal gambling activity
The poker players paid a “rake,” a fee charged as a percentage or fixed amount from each hand gambled, court documents claim
One of the defendants hired young women who, in exchange for tips, served drinks and vided massages and “offered companionship” to the poker players, according to secutors. “The women were charged a ‘tax’ – a percentage of their earnings from working the games
Chefs, valets, and armed security guards also were hired to staff these illegal poker games,” the statement said
The Israeli man faces separate charges including marriage fraud and lying on immigration documents
He is suspected of conspiring with a 35-year-old Los Angeles woman to enter into a sham marriage for the purposes of obtaining permanent legal in the U.S
If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count, secutors said
Arenas averaged 20.7 points during an 11-year career with four teams, most notably a seven-plus season stint in Washington from 2004-11
Charismatic and mercurial, Arenas — who counted “Agent Zero” (representing his number) and “Hibachi” for the way he could heat up during a game among his many nicknames — was a three-time All-Star, a gifted scorer and one of the key cogs in a handful of Wizards teams that enjoyed modest success in the mid-to-late 2000s
Yet Arenas’ run in Washington in disgrace
Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton were susp for the balance of the NBA season in January 2010 ing a locker-room incident in which both players pulled guns on each other
Arenas returned to play briefly for Washington the ing season before being traded to Orlando
He then bounced to Memphis in 2011, coming off the bench for 17 games before stepping away to play in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2012-13
He never returned to the NBA
His son, Alijah Arenas, was a Los Angeles high school basketball star who is a highly touted freshman player for the University of Southern California
His college career is on hold pending knee surgery and rehab is expected to take months, the school said last week
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