Art Dealer Tied to Russian Mob Run Gambling Ring Case Blames His Dad for Woes

Playboy art dealer Hillel “Helly” Nahmad is blaming his dear ‘ol dad for his gambling problems.  Nahmad was one of 30 charged for running high stakes poker games with ties to the Russian Mafia.  He has since plead guilty to a lesser charge and is due to be sentenced in Manhattan on April 30.

Nahmad’s lawyers claimed in a filing that his dad got him “betting on Knicks games by the age of 14 and he lost a bar mitzvah gift watch in a bet over table tennis.”

Now 35, Nahmad is looking to avoid a 12 to 18 month jail sentence by teaching homeless people about art while under house arrest.  The wealthy gallery owner is represented by big name attorney Ben Brafman, best known for representing rappers like P. Diddy and accused Mafia figure Salvator “Sammy the Bull” Gravano.  More recently, Brafman acted as legal counsel for former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a highly-publicized sexual assault case.

Nahmad’s art gallery, located in the prestigious Carlyle Hotel, was raided last April.  The unsealed indictment claimed he was involved in a money laundering scheme that was carried out under the direction of a Russian organized crime group and involved the likes of Hollywood celebrities, professional athletes and Wall Street financiers. The ring leader was alleged to have been Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, who authorities claim tried to rig Winter Olympic skating competitions. 

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com