A wealthy Manhattan art dealer accused in a $100 million international gambling racket is keeping himself out of jail by turning over the deed to his ritzy Fifth Avenue apartment and surrendering his US, Italian and Brazilian passports.
Helly Nahmad, 34, the scion of a powerful art family worth $3 billion, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment yesterday. He also may not travel outside the New York City and or Southern California areas.
Nahmad must hand in the deed to his multimillion-dollar Fifth Avenue digs to satisfy his $500,000 bond by the end of the month.
The playboy sat in the front row of a packed Manhattan federal courtroom with 33 of his co-defendants and their lawyers and pleaded not guilty.
Molly Bloom, 34, the gorgeous sister of an Olympic skier, and 32 other defendants all pleaded not guilty to taking part in the gambling ring at their crowded arraignment yesterday — as prosecutors said they may make even more arrests.
“It’s certainly possible additional defendants will be named or additional charges will be brought against the current defendants,” said Assistant US Attorney Harris Fischman.
Both Nahmad and “Poker Princess” Bloom, who was decked out in high heels and a tight sweater, declined to comment as they left court about the allegations they organized exclusive poker games for the likes of actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Nahmad defense attorney Benjamin Brafman said, “We do not believe that Mr. Nahmad has knowingly violated the law. We anticipate that he will be fully exonerated.”
Federal prosecutors described the evidence in the case — wiretap recordings of up to 25,000 phone calls, as well as seized computers and financial documents — and said more arrests may be made soon.
The prosecutors described two interconnected gambling rings, one involving online sports betting and the laundering of Russian money and the other involving the high-end card games.
“The first oversaw a massive sports gambling enterprise” that also laundered tens of millions of dollars, said Fischman, while the poker operation “involved a younger generation.”
Nahmad regularly bets $200,000 on Knicks games and then sits next to Spike Lee at Madison Square Garden, a source close to Nahmad told The Post.
FBI agents raided his art gallery in the Upper East Side’s Carlyle Hotel earlier this week and the jet-setter now faces up to 92 years in prison.
The beautiful Bloom, who has served as a point person for celebrity poker players such as DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, could get slapped with up to 10 years.
The packed courtroom held a “who’s who” of high-profile Manhattan attorneys.
Brafman, who in the past represented Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was joined by Ronald Fischetti, who has defended Courtney Love, and Arthur Aidala, who represented NFL great Lawrence Taylor, also stood up for the gambling defendants.
Judge Jesse Furman ordered a June 9 trial date.