Helly Nahmad Partied with David Blaine Before Jail Stint

Talk about making the most of a bad situation. Art dealer and collector progeny Helly Nahmad, who started a 366-day prison term last week because of his role in running a $100 million high-stakes gambling ring with ties to the Russian mob, put in a month of extra-hard partying in the lead-up to serving his jail sentence. An anonymous source tells the New York Post that this debaucherous send-off culminated in a dinner among friends in the West Village whose attendees included TV magician David Blaine.

Helly Nahmad.
Photo: © 2014 Patrick McMullan Company, Inc.

The Post‘s source also notes that Nahmad will be serving out his jail time of one year and one day at the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York. The tabloid describes that facility, located about two hours north of New York City, as “cushy.” Nahmad’s fellow inmates at the facility include white collar criminals Kenneth Starr and Walter Forbes.

If the disgraced dealer can’t do the time, we’re sure his buddy Blaine can bust him out—we’ve seen him escape from far more elaborate confines before.