ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Arenas, 43, is facing 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, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California news release.

Arenas and five others, including a suspected high-level member of an Israeli transnational organized crime group, were arrested Wednesday.

According to an indictment, Arenas is accused of renting out an Encino mansion he owned for the high-stakes poker games from September 2021 to July 2022. At Arena’s direction, another man, 51-year-old Arthur Kats, allegedly staged the mansion to host the games, found co-conspirators to host the games and collected rent on Arena’s behalf, the indictment says.

Yevgeni Gershman, the suspected organized crime figure from Israel, is accused of managing the illegal “Pot Limit Omaha� poker and other games, along with Evgenni Tourevski of Tarzana, Allan Austria of West Hills and Yarin Cohen of Tarzana, according to the indictment. They reportedly collected a fee the house charged from each pot etiher as a percentage or a fixed amount per hand and invited players to compete.

The illegal gambling operation also allegedly featured women who, in exchange for tips, served drinks, provided massages and “offered companionship� to the poker players, the indictment said. The women were charged a percentage of their earnings from working the games. Chefs, valets and armed security also worked the events.

Ievgen Krachun of Tarzana allegedly tracked players’ wins and losses, distributed poker chips to players, and paid employees.

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 Sep. 23.

His attorney Jerome Friedberg said outside the courthouse that he hadn’t had much time to speak with his client and couldn’t comment 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.�

Gershman, 49; Tourevski, 48; Austria, 52; Cohen, 27; and Krachun, 43, each were arrested on one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and one count of operating an illegal gambling business.

If convicted, the men face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.