Embattled former NBA star Gilbert Arenas denies snitching in latest gambling probe
After Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were arrested last week due to their own alleged involvement in illegal gambling, speculation went around 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 accused earlier this year of operating an illegal gambling ring from a home he owned in Southern California.
Shortly after his July arrest, Arenas, who pleaded not guilty, admitted that he would be “snitching.” But in a livestream on Friday, he reiterated he would only do so in his own case.
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Thus, Arenas denied any involvement in the most recent case.
“I don’t know what this gotta do with my case,” Arenas said. “I don’t think you just walk around telling them cases you don’t know. My case is different. I don’t know what my case has to do with n—-s that’s gambling and giving information on NBA games. How does that have to do with me?”
“Common sense is common sense. This is a whole different breed of – this s–t has its own name. Mine didn’t have no operation name,” Arenas added, referencing that Rozier and Jones were arrested in “Operation Nothing But Bet,” and Billups and Jones were arrested in “Operation Royal Flush.”
A federal indictment obtained by Fox News Digital showed 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 Justice Department.
The federal indictment was filed in Los Angeles. According to the document, Arenas is accused of instructing Arthur Kats to stage illegal games. Kats allegedly handled rental payments for other individuals who were also believed to have had 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 oversaw the gambling as it was allegedly being committed inside the home, according to the indictment. Another defendant, Yevgeni Gershman, was described by the DOJ as a “suspected organized crime figure from Israel.”
During his career, Arenas was charged after bringing guns 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 latter of whom is a 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 placed on immediate leave from their teams, “and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities.”
“The integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said.
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
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