Yaniv Gohar, Failure to Appear, California 2018

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A fugitive wanted for conducting an illegal gambling business, money laundering, and failure to appear has been brought back to the United States and will face justice. Yaniv Gohar, 36, formerly of Berkeley, was extradited from Israel and will be arraigned today on a superseding indictment that adds the charge of failure to appear to the original charges.

According to court documents, Gohar was arrested on December 8, 2017, in connection with his initial charges. On December 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 January 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.

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.

The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the California Department of Justice - Bureau of Gambling Control. Significant assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office and Israeli authorities.

Gohar's arraignment is a significant step towards holding him accountable for his crimes. The U.S. Attorney's Office is committed to bringing justice to those who evade the law and put others at risk.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/israel-extradites-fugitive-charged-failure-appear-conducting-illegal-gambling-business