CLOSED: Lawmen raid Helly Nahmad’s Carlyle Hotel gallery yesterday. (Kristy Leibowitz)
Alleged cohorts are taken away. (Gregory P. Mango)
A jet-setting Manhattan art baron was arrested yesterday for his role in a massive international gambling ring that counted Leonardo DiCaprio as a player, officials said.
Helly Nahmad was one of 34 people indicted for their involvement in a $100 million enterprise that drew A-list celebrities, finance honchos and professional athletes to exclusive betting Web sites and private playing dens from Ukraine to Manhattan.
DiCaprio, a poker enthusiast, took part in games run by the group, a source told The Post.
Officials said the ring’s New York branch was led by Nahmad and two associates — pro poker player Vadim Trincher and businessman Anatoly Golubchik.
Trincher — who faces up to 90 years in prison if convicted — had his luxurious Trump Tower condo raided and seized yesterday, sources said.
“He conducted his operation from a $5 million apartment in Trump Tower,” said prosecutor Harris Fisher at Trincher’s arraignment yesterday.
“From his apartment he oversaw what must have been the largest sports book in the world. He caters to millionaires and billionaires making bets on [professional sports] like soccer games and the NBA.”
Among those arrested is poker player and producer Bryan Zuriff, the brother-in-law of E! television host Giuliana Rancic. He is charged with helping to run illegal poker games.
Notorious “Poker Princess” Molly Bloom — the sister of Olympic skier and former NFL player Jeremy Bloom — was among those busted in Los Angeles.
Bloom has served as a point person for celebrity poker players such as DiCaprio, Alex Rodriguez and Tobey Maguire, who seek access to high-stakes games. She is slated to release a memoir next year.
FBI agents raided several high-profile locations during yesterday’s sweep, including Nahmad’s glittering art gallery at The Carlyle hotel on the East Side.
Officials said he helped finance the ring and faces raps ranging from extortion to money laundering. Nahmad surrendered to authorities in Los Angeles yesterday, sources said.
The flashy playboy — who counts Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen as pals — is the scion of one of the most powerful families in the art world. Nahmad’s father, David Nahmad, owns a vast portfolio valued at more than $3 billion.
Officials said the ring was led by legendary Russian gangster Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, who helmed overseas operations.
Already wanted for trying to fix skating competitions at the 2002 Olympics, he has eluded capture for years despite extradition attempts. Federal officials believe he’s on the lam in Russia.
In operation since 2006, the ring’s staggering proceeds were laundered through a variety of businesses — from banks in Cyprus to auto-body shops in Brooklyn, officials said.
Ring enforcers regularly threatened gamblers who failed to cough up their debts, officials said. A Bronx plumbing company owner was forced to sign over half of his business to the ring because he owed them $2 million in gambling debts, according to the indictment.
“The subjects in this case ran high-stakes illegal poker games and online gambling, proceeds from which are alleged to have been funneled to organized-crime overseas,” said NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. “The one thing they didn’t bet on was the New York City police and federal investigators’ attention.”
Additional reporting by Bruce Golding, Frank Rosario