Poker Writer
Israeli poker player Gal Yifrach was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Los Angeles at the airport on July 20. He is currently in custody at a Southern California ICE processing center, PokerNews reported.
The embattled former World Series of Poker bracelet winner was indicted in 2022 on federal charges of operating an illegal gambling business and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The 39-year-old was a regular player on Live at the Bike! stream in Los Angeles before the indictment.
Despite being under investigation following his indictment, Yifrach has not been in custody and has continued to play poker. He even won a major poker title in November 2025 on his birthday for more than $540,000, which remains his most recent recorded poker cash.
Yifrach’s case has not settled.
More Fuel to the Fire For Yifrach
The charges against Yifrach were getting to be long in the tooth, with little progress and few updates since 2022. The case is still pending trial. But this detainment by ICE may reignite his previous cases, as well as pile on additional issues for him to deal with.
The 2022 indictment says that Yifrach conducted an illegal gambling business from 2018 to 2022 in the Sacramento area that involved slot machines. He was also accused of money laundering, taking cash from the illegal casino, and using it to invest in things such as real estate in the L.A. area. Investigators said the crew used legal casinos to launder the money.
In order to misguide the authorities, Yifrach and the others involved divided the cash into multiple deposits at different banks. The deposits never exceeded $10,000 to avoid having to report any transactions federally.
Yifrach could face up to five years in prison if convicted and up to a $250,000 fine. His associate, Nick Shkolnik, could face the exact same penalty. Fellow Israelis, Shalom Yifrach and Schner Rosenfeld are also named in the indictment for money laundering.
