Hollywood Hills Murder Exposed Gambling Ring that Embroiled Gilbert Arenas
A man was shot in the face while playing poker outside a mansion in the Hollywood Hills in 2023. Emil Lahaziel, 39, was discovered dead on a staircase outside a posh rental on Fareholm Drive in the early hours of June 7, 2023.
Actress Chloe Bridges, who lives across the street with her husband Adam Devine, unintentionally observed the gunshot, which appeared to be an execution. Eventually, this horrifying tragedy would aid in the dismantling of one of the most profitable underground gambling businesses in Los Angeles.
Federal prosecutors have now indicted former NBA player Gilbert Arenas and five other people in connection with an illegal poker ring that allegedly attracted high rollers, Israeli organized crime figures, and Latino gang members, more than two years after Lahaziel was murdered.
Connecting the Dots
Arena was not present at the game where the murder occurred and is not accused of being involved in it.
However, the LA Times report states that detectives from the LAPD started making connections between a string of high-stakes poker games held in homes in Encino, Sherman Oaks, and the Hollywood Hills as a result of the investigation into Lahaziel's murder. Additionally, they discovered a vast network of illegal card games, some of which were hosted in influencer-rented mansions and were manned by cooks, bartenders, and women who provided "companionship."
Lahaziel, an Israeli national, had just relocated from Florida to Los Angeles. He was suspected of having connections to criminal networks and owed a lot of money. Lahaziel once informed his wife that people were trying to kill him because of things he had done "out of the country," according to divorce documents that the Times cited.
Even as he displayed a lifestyle of private aircraft and luxury cars on Instagram, he declared bankruptcy in Israel, claiming to owe over $1.5 million.
Two People Are Charged with Murder
According to police testimony, Lahaziel spent the final night of his life in a poker game that was hosted by social media playboy Tony Toutouni. He went outdoors to meet someone at around two in the morning. He passed away in a matter of moments.
Since then, two gang members—Jose Martinez Sanchez and Ricardo Corral—have been accused of killing him. Investigators connected the two to a stolen Dodge pickup that was discovered at the scene using surveillance footage, phone records, and witness statements. Both individuals are awaiting trial after entering not guilty pleas.
The Mafia in Israel
Lahaziel had been hanging about with Yevgeni Gershman, an Israeli immigrant and convicted felon with alleged ties to the Israeli Mafia, according to testimonies the Times cited. Investigators claim that Gershman was also planning poker tournaments, some of which were hosted at Arenas' house.
Arenas' Encino mansion was raided by DEA and LAPD agents in July 2022, one year before to the Lahaziel murder. A DEA plane hovered overhead, catching guests escaping through the backyard as they discovered a game in full swing.
Prosecutors only revealed those data last week when they unveiled a federal indictment accusing Arenas, Gershman, and four other people of running an illicit gambling operation.
A gambler who lost $1.2 million in a single night at one of the games told police that he had been intimidated by Israeli mobsters, and he identified Gershman as the man operating the scheme out of Arenas' house. This prompted police to target the Arenas mansion.
Some of the five defendants, but not Arenas, were also connected to an illegal poker room in a downtown high-rise where missing LA woman Heidi Planck was last seen in 2021, a law enforcement source told NBC Los Angeles on Thursday.
Arenas was freed on a $50,000 bond after entering a not guilty plea to the allegations of illicit gambling. The experiment will take place in September 2025.
