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After Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were arrested last week for their alleged involvement in illegal gambling, there was speculation that Gilbert Arenas cooperated with authorities to implicate the NBA figures.
The former NBA star, who found himself in trouble during his playing days, was charged earlier this year with operating an illegal gambling ring from a home he owned in Southern California.
Shortly after his arrest in July, Arenas, who pleaded not guilty, admitted that he would be a “snitch.” But in a livestream on Friday, he reiterated that he would only do so in his own case.
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NBA player Gilbert Arenas arrives at the District of Columbia Courthouse on January 15, 2010 in Washington, DC (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
Thus, Arenas denied any involvement in the most recent case.
“I don’t know what this has to do with my case,” Arenas said. “I don’t think you go around telling them about cases you don’t know about. My case is different. I don’t know what my case has to do with black people betting and giving information on NBA games. What does that have to do with me?”
“Common sense is common sense. This is a completely different type of… this s— has its own name. Mine had no operation name,” Arenas added, referencing that Rozier and Jones were arrested in “Operation Nothing But A Gamble,” and Billups and Jones were arrested in “Operation Royal Flush.”
TO federal indictment obtained by Pak Gazette Digital showed that Arenas was charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business and another count of making false statements to federal investigators.
Arenas, nicknamed “Agent Zero,” is suspected of renting a property in Encino, California, for the purpose of hosting high-stakes poker games, according to the Department of Justice.
Close-up of Washington Wizards Gilbert Arenas (0) on the court during a game against the Phoenix Suns in Washington, DC (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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The federal indictment was filed in Los Angeles. According to the document, Arenas is accused of ordering Arthur Kats to organize illegal games. Kats allegedly handled rent payments for other people who were also believed to have played a role in the operation. Officials said they obtained text messages believed to show conversations between Arenas and Kats about details of the games in question.
One of the defendants, Ievgen Krachun, was identified as the person who supervised the gambling that allegedly took place inside the house, according to the indictment. Another defendant, Yevgeni Gershman, was described by the Justice Department as an “alleged Israeli organized crime figure.”
During his career, Arenas was accused of bringing weapons into the team’s locker room during a dispute with former teammate Javaris Crittenton. Crittenton served 10 years in prison for his role in a 2011 shooting.
Billups, Rozier and Jones, the last defendant in both cases, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The NBA announced that Billups and Rozier were immediately suspended from their teams, “and we will continue to cooperate with relevant authorities.”
Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were arrested Thursday. (Jaime Valdez/Imagn Images, Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
“The integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said.
