The DOJ is going after the poker player with hundreds of documents to support its case
Federal authorities have gathered 142,689 pages of evidence in their case against high-stakes poker pro Gal Yifrach, who is accused of running an illegal gambling operation almost two years ago.
Attorneys for the defendant and the US Court for the Eastern District of California agreed to delay the January 8 status conference until March 4 to give defense attorneys time to “familiarize themselves with the case and review voluminous discovery, discuss the case with their respective clients and the attorney for the United States, and otherwise prepare for trial,” according to court filings.
Yifrach is a 2018 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner with over $2.2 million in live tournament earnings. He was initially deemed as a flight risk by the court after his arrest in 2022 and was ordered to remain in custody pending his trial but has since been released on bond.
The indictment cites several examples of alleged criminal activities, including one where Yifrach and co-defendant Shalom Ifrah texted about taking cash from Yifrach’s safe “in order to give a total of $150,000 to an individual in exchange for casino chips from CASINO 1.” This supposedly took place between October 24 and 27, 2018.
Yifrach faces one count of conducting an illegal gambling business and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in the charges filed in March 2022. He’s looking at up to five years in prison for illegal gambling and up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is scheduled for a March 4 status conference prior to his upcoming trial.
In the recent court filing, federal authorities believe a mountain of evidence has been collected against the Los Angeles poker pro, with over 140,000 pages of recordings and transcribed manuscripts.
