The son of one of the wealthiest families in the art world and a notorious Hollywood poker madam were among the nearly three dozen people to appear in court in New York on Friday over charges stemming from an illegal high-stakes poker ring that was frequented by sports stars, celebrities and Wall Street executives.
Hillel 'Helly' Nahmad, Molly Bloom and the 32 others were charged this week with racketeering, extortion, money laundering and illegal gambling, including threats of violence to make sure customers paid their debts.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued a statement on Tuesday alleging that one of the enterprises in the international gambling scheme laundered tens of millions of dollars through Cyprus shell companies and bank accounts into the U.S.
Big catch: Hillel Nahmad, right, son of one of the wealthiest families in the art world, exits Manhattan federal court with his attorney Benjamin Brafman on Friday, April 19, 2013, in New York
Sweeping investigation: Thirty four people, including Molly Bloom, pictured, were charged in what investigators called a Russian organized crime operation that included illegal, high-stakes poker games for the rich and famous
The group of 34, which also included professional poker player Vadim Trincher and Edwin Ting, who runs a high-stakes Manhattan poker club, were indicted in a sweeping several-year federal investigation that stretched from New York to Los Angeles, Miami, Kiev, Ukraine and Cyprus.
Federal agents on Tuesday raided Nahmad's exclusive gallery in the Carlyle Hotel on Madison Avenue, as dozens of arrests were made in New York and other U.S. cities.
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Nahmad, 34, was expected to turn himself in to authorities in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Bloom, 34, a hostess known for organizing card parties for celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Alex Rodriguez, Tobey Maguire and Matt Damon, was arrested in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Famous faces: Leonardo DiCaprio, pictured in 2005 with his then-girlfriend, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, had allegedly participated in the poker ring that was busted by authorities
High-roller: Helly Nahmad, right, is the son of a billionaire art dealer who has his own gallery on New York's tony Madison Avenue. He is pictured here with Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr
Crime scene: The Helly Nahmad Gallery was raided by federal agents and IRS investigators today. They searched for the ill-gotten profits of his alleged $50 million gambling operation
Raid: Federal agents seized computers and other documents from the Helly Nahmad Gallery on Tuesday
Dana Cole, an attorney for Bloom, said her client faces bookmaking charges.
Nahmad is accused of operating one of two organized gambling rings that specialized in high-stakes poker games hosted at various locations around New York as well as sports betting.
Nahmad is the son of David Nahmad, who is perhaps the most high-profile art dealer and collector in the world, with a fortune estimated at $3 billion
The Helly Nahmad Gallery, which is owned by Helly Naham, carries works by the likes of Wassily Kandinsky and Francis Bacon.
The FBI says agents, alongside investigators from the IRS, were searching for ill-gotten profits from the illegal gambling activities.
Wanted: Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov is also accused of fixing the figure skating events at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics
Nahmad is also accused of wire fraud for allegedly selling a $50,000 painting for $300,000.
The young wealthy art peddler runs in a dizzying social circle of A-list friends, which include supermodel Gisele Bundchen and her football quarterback husband Tom Brady, according to the New York Post.
Sources told the tabloid that DiCaprio often participated in the high-stakes poker games.
Apart from the more recognizable names, a 32-year-old JPMorgan Chase branch manager in New York was arrested and charged with helping one of the other defendants structure transactions in order to avoid bank reporting requirements, the 84-page indictment states.
Infamous Russian crime boss Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, nicknamed 'the Little Taiwanese,' has also been indicted in the case.
Tokhtakhounov is already a fugitive on the run. He was indicted for rigging the figure skating competition at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
He is a a 'vory v zakone' or 'Vor' - translated as 'thief-in-law' - the highest rank in Russian organized crime networks.
Authorities believe he provided protection and backing for the gambling rings. He is believed to be hiding out in Russia.
Tokhtakhounovand and Nahmad are accused of running separate gambling and money laundering rings that worked together.
The FBI says Tokhtakhounovand received a $10 million payment for his services.
Nahmad's operation allegedly brought in $50 million since 2006.
Authorities say he made wire transfers from his Swiss bank accounts to help fund the operation.
His clients include high-profile businessmen, celebrities and sports stars. The FBI is not releasing the names of gamblers.
Debts from the gambling operations ran into hundreds of thousands of dollars. One plumber from the Bronx, New York, was threatened by the alleged mobsters after he ran up a $2 million debt in 2010.
Playboy: Mr Nahmad is seen here with models Natalie Morris, Tamiris Freitas, Rose Costa at an art gallery event
Rich kid: Helly Nahmad is seen with his billionaire father, David Nahmad, in 2006 with a Picasso painting at the Helly Nahmad gallery
The gambling rings also included sophisticated money laundering operations that included a Brooklyn, New York, car repair shop and banks in Cyprus.
In addition to Tokhtakhounovan, three other suspects have evaded capture and are hiding from authorities.
Abraham Mosseri, 40, is wanted for his role in operating an illegal sports bookmaking operation.
Donald McCalmont, 45, is wanted for laundering money through Titan Plumbing, a Bronx company taken over to repay a gambling debt.
William Edler, 49, is wanted for his role in operating an illegal sports bookmaking operation.
Hollywood poker madam: Molly Bloom, who faces bookmaking charges, exits Manhattan federal court on Friday, April 19, 2013, in New York
Heavy charges: Nahmad is accused of operating one of two organized gambling rings that specialized in high-stakes poker games hosted at various locations around New York as well as sports betting