Assaf “Ace” Waknine (U.S. Department of Justice).
An alleged Israeli organized crime figure stands accused of being the enforcer behind a series of exclusive high-stakes poker games in California. These events, which required a $20,000 entry fee, attracted celebrities and athletes to luxurious homes in the Los Angeles area.
However, the allure of these games was matched by significant risks. Authorities report that one participant was murdered, while others faced arson attacks on their luxury cars and homes.
Assaf “Ace” Waknine, an Israeli national with a lengthy criminal record, is accused of issuing threats to those who failed to settle their gambling debts. Last week, Waknine was charged in federal court with transmitting threatening communications across state and international borders. Although deported from the U.S. in 2011, he is believed to have been residing in Mexico when he allegedly sent these threats.
A detailed 35-page criminal complaint from the Department of Homeland Security sheds light on the clandestine poker operations that gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The affidavit describes games held in opulent mansions with a festive atmosphere, complete with DJs, gourmet chefs, and waitstaff consisting of models and social media influencers.
The host of several of these poker games reportedly faced financial liabilities over player debts, as outlined in the complaint. Violent incidents at these events included a May 2023 arson attack where two suspects set fire to a Bentley SUV and fired shots into a home, narrowly missing its occupants. The same suspects are also accused of using a Molotov cocktail against another property hosting a game.
The underground poker scene came under scrutiny following the murder of Emile Lahaziel in June 2023, who had attended one of these games in Hollywood Hills. While Waknine is not charged with Lahaziel’s murder, federal authorities claim he threatened another game host with a similar fate. Lahaziel was known to have participated in games organized by this host.
Two people have been charged with murder in Lahaziel’s death and are awaiting trial.
Several months after the murder, in January 2024, Waknine allegedly sent the victim a series of text messages. The victim ignored the messages and calls, saying he didn’t know Waknine and was in a meeting, the complaint said.
“F— your meeting,” Waknine allegedly said to the man identified in court documents as Victim-1.
One minute later, the complaint alleges Waknine sent the following message: “Ok [Victim-1] I guess you really Want to end up like your other b— a— poker budd.”
Waknine was additionally accused of threatening others associated with the games.
“Listen good motherf—er,” he allegedly wrote. “We explained to you in a very direct manner don’t f— us.”
The complaint said Waknine and his brother would hire Southern California gang members to “serve as their enforcers and extortionate debt collectors.” The complaint does not accuse Waknine of ordering a hit on Lahaziel, but believes he was “at minimum” aware of the murder.
Waknine’s lawyer, in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, denied the allegations.
