Yesterday (July 30), Gilbert Arenas was one of six men arrested on a federal indictment involving an alleged illegal gambling business. He and the other defendants are accused of operating the alleged business at a mansion in Encino, California from September of 2021 to July of 2022. Among the defendants is alleged Israeli organized crime member Yevgeni “Giora” Gershman. Authorities believe Gershman allegedly hired young women who “served drinks, provided massages and offered companionship to the poker players" in exchange for tips. Allegedly, these women were charged a "tax" that the organizers would take out of their earnings.
Shortly after his arrest, Arenas appeared in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, where he pleaded not guilty to 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.
Jerome Friedberg, Arenas' attorney, made a brief statement outside of the courthouse. "At this point in the case, he is presumed innocent, right?" he began. "He has the same right as any other citizen to that presumption, and that's how he should be treated."
Gilbert Arenas Arrest
At the time, Friedberg also said that he couldn't say a lot about the case, and that he hadn't gotten an opportunity to discuss it with his client much. Arenas has since been released on a $50K bond. His trial is currently expected to begin on September 23.
It looks like the former professional basketball player is feeling better than ever since getting out too. Earlier today, he took to Twitter/X to share a video of himself celebrating his release. "They can't hold me," he said repeatedly while dancing his way down a staircase, as captured by DJ Akademiks.
"Im Back on the Streets," Arenas captioned the post before proclaiming his innocence. "This aint got shyt to do with me ' just rented the house' Wasnt apart."
