Art Gallery With Alleged Ties to High Stakes Poker Probe, Russian Mob Reopens

The Helly Nahmad Gallery, located within the confines of the ritzy Midtown Manhattan Carlyle Hotel, has reopened.

The gallery was raided on April 16 as part of an extensive probe into illegal high stakes poker games and sports wagering with alleged ties to the Russian mob.  It will continue to operate as owner Hilel Nahmad, 34, faces charges of racketeering and money- laundering conspiracy.

Nahmad will be represented by high profile Mob attorney Ben Brafman. 

“We do not believe that Mr. Nahmad knowingly violated the law and we anticipate that he will be fully exonerated,” Benjamin Brafman, Nahmad’s co-counsel, said in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg News. “This case will not in any way impact the continued lawful operation of the Nahmad Gallery.”

Brafman has acted as attorney for the likes of P. Diddy, World Sports Exchange founder Jay Cohen, Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano and, more recently, Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

From Bloomberg News:

According to the indictment, Nahmad, along with Illya Trincher, ran an operation that used illegal online gambling websites to generate tens of millions of dollars in bets each year. Trincher, 27, of Beverly Hills, California, was also charged. The ring was supported, in part, by the gallery, according to the indictment.

Nahmad is free on $500,000 bail secured by his Fifth Avenue apartment, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 92 years in prison, Bharara’s office said.

As part of his bail, Nahmad surrendered his U.S., Italian and Brazilian passports and his travel is restricted to the southern district of New York and central district of California, which includes Los Angeles.

His pretrial conference is scheduled for March 13, 2014. The trial date is set for June 9, 2014, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com