Published on: April 7, 2026, 01:58h.
Updated on: April 7, 2026, 01:58h.
- Yevgeni Gershman agrees to plead guilty regarding high-stakes poker ring allegations
- Allegations of illicit games held at Arenas’ mansion linked to criminal syndicate
- Investigation into Hollywood Hills murder reveals extensive underground gambling network
An individual purportedly affiliated with the Israeli Mafia is poised to plead guilty to illegal gambling charges stemming from his involvement in organizing high-stakes poker events at the Encino, California residence of former NBA player Gilbert Arenas.
Yevgeni Gershman, aged 50, was apprehended in July 2025 alongside Arenas and four other individuals in connection to the poker games, which, as detailed in a federal indictment, were opulent events supported by bartenders, chefs, valets, and women providing “companionship.” These gatherings reportedly occurred from September 2021 through July 2022, according to prosecutors.
Recently, Gershman struck a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to charges including conspiracy to run an illegal gambling operation, money laundering, possession of firearms, and providing false information on immigration documents.
The final allegation pertains to an alleged attempt by Gershman to enter a fraudulent marriage to secure permanent legal residency in the United States, according to the authorities.
Arenas Maintains Innocence
Arenas faces charges of conspiracy to run an illegal gambling operation, operating such a business, and making false statements to federal agents. He refutes these claims and is set to go to trial in May.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents raided the mansion in July 2022, where they discovered a poker game in progress, according to the indictment. A DEA aircraft overhead recorded images of guests attempting to escape through the backyard.
Law enforcement focused on the residence after a gambler reported losing $1.2 million in one night and claimed he was threatened by Israeli mobsters, identifying Gershman as the organizer of the operation.
Connections to Homicide?
One year following the raid, Emil Lahaziel, a 39-year-old Israeli national with suspected ties to organized crime, was discovered deceased outside another Hollywood Hills mansion that had been hosting a separate high-stakes poker game.
The investigation into Lahaziel’s murder prompted LAPD detectives to establish connections between a series of high-stakes poker games held in mansions spanning Encino, Sherman Oaks, and the Hollywood Hills, ultimately exposing a vast network of illicit gambling activities.
While Gershman and Lahaziel reportedly knew each other, prosecutors have not implicated Gershman in the homicide. Two gang associates, Ricardo Corral and Jose Martinez Sanchez, have been charged with murder in relation to the incident.
Furthermore, some of the five defendants—excluding Arenas—were linked to an illegal poker operation in a downtown high-rise where missing Los Angeles resident Heidi Planck was last spotted in 2021.