Federal Indictment Charges Pro Poker Player Gal Yafrich, 3 Others With Operating Illegal Gambling Operation, Money Laundering
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A World Series of Poker bracelet winner is one of four Los Angeles-area men who have been charged in connection with an illegal video gambling operation and money laundering.
Gal Yafrich, 35, a frequent player in "Live at the Bike" poker games and the 2018 World Series of Poker bracelet winner, and 39-year-old Nick Shkolnik were both charged with operating an illegal gambling business. Israeli-born Yafrich also faces money laundering charges along with 32-year-old Shalom Ifrah and 33-year-old Schneur Zalman Getzel Rosenfeld.
All four of the defendants named in the federal indictment were arrested Wednesday. Yifrach and Ifrah were detained pending trial, but Shkolnik and Rosenfeld were released subject to pretrial supervision and other conditions.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of California, Yifrach, Shkolnik, and Yosef Yitzchak Beshari, who faces charges elsewhere, conducted an illegal gambling business in the Sacramento area with video slot machines, then laundered the proceeds of the operation by swapping cash for chips or checks at a gaming establishment identified by federal prosecutors as "a casino in Bell Gardens." There is one casino in the city of Bell Gardens – Bicycle Hotel and Casino, home of the "Live at the Bike" online poker show.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the men involved in the conspiracy allegedly made cash deposits of no more than $10,000 at banks to avoid federal transaction reporting requirements. Yifrach, according to the federal indictment, also used funds to invest in Los Angeles real estate.
Yafrich and Shkolnik each face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for conducting an illegal gambling business. Yafrich, Ifrah, and Rosenfeld additionally face a maximum statutory penalty each of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of assets that includes more than $500,000 in U.S. currency and three real estate properties in Los Angeles.
