SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Following the successful extradition from Israel, Yaniv Gohar, 36, formerly of Berkeley, will be arraigned today on a superseding indictment that adds the charge of failure to appear to the original charges relating to an illegal gambling business, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Gohar was arrested on December 8, 2017, in connection with his initial charges. On Dec. 21, he was released on bond over the government’s objection. Four days later, he allegedly crashed his Porsche Panamera into a parked car in Berkeley and did not immediately stop, but rather continued driving until cited by the Berkeley Police Department for reckless driving. On Jan. 3, 2018, he failed to appear as ordered for his pretrial services violation hearing and has remained at large since that time. In September 2018, a grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Gohar with, among other offenses, failure to appear.
This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI and California Department of Justice - Bureau of Gambling Control. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew M. Yelovich and Miriam R. Hinman are prosecuting the case. Significant assistance was provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and by Israeli authorities.
Yaniv Gohar’s brother and co-defendant, Orel Gohar, 28, fled the United States in December 2017 and remains at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts should call the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (916) 746-7000.
If convicted, Yaniv Gohar faces five years in prison for the failure to appear to be served consecutively to the other sentences imposed. If convicted, he also faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison for the illegal gambling offense and 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
