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Artem Chigvintsev claims he lost more than 0,000 in income after his arrest on domestic violence charges
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Artem Chigvintsev claims he lost more than $100,000 in income after his arrest on domestic violence charges

Artem Chigvintsev reveals how his Stop had an impact on its finances.

In an Oct. 31 filing, Chigvintsev claimed he lost more than $100,000 in income after being arrested in August on domestic violence charges against his soon-to-be ex-wife. Nikki Garcia. According to court documents filed by Chigvintsev in response to Garcia’s request for a restraining order and obtained by PEOPLE, the former Dancing with the stars pro said that before the incident he had a job as a dancer, but that ended after the arrest.

“It is not true that I have not been able to find other work as a dancer,” he wrote in the documents. “I normally start my job in November and it lasts for 20 weekends. After the mugshot and arrest based on his false allegations, I was removed from the website’s faculty list, resulting in a loss of more than $100,000 in revenue.”

“I also lost the income from social media promotion, which she continues to benefit from because she was more worried about her career when she lied to the police than mine,” he claims.

Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia.

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic


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On August 29, police responded to the home shared by Garcia and Chigvintsev in Napa, California after the Total Bellas one elder accused Chigvintsev of domestic violence. He was arrested and charged with bodily injury to his wife and released on $25,000 bail that day. The District Attorney’s Office later decided not to file criminal charges.

Garcia filed for divorce of Chigvintsev on September 11, and the two have since obtained restraining orders against each other. They also share a 4-year-old son, Matteo, who was allegedly present during the domestic violence incident.

In their court battle, Garcia claimed Chigvintsev was barred from his position. Dancing with the stars as a professional for the current 33rd season, a week before his arrest and “had been unable to find other work as a dancer”.

“He had started working on a construction site and felt it was not for him,” states an October 3 filing. “Since he was cut off from Dancing with the starsArtem got angrier and angrier, yelling at me and shouting. We had discussions about his need to control his anger. » Chigvintsev’s recent filing denies Garcia’s allegations.

Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev.
David Livingston/Getty

On August 29, PEOPLE confirmed that the Russian-born dancer was not planned to participate in season 33 of Dancing with the stars Before his arrest.

Chigvintsev argued that he was not the “main aggressor” in the Aug. 29 incident and Napa County Prosecutor Allison Haley cited a lack of evidence to determine who instigated the fight, according to a press release published September 24.

“While we take every arrest seriously and strongly oppose domestic violence, we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when they are supported by evidence,” she wrote. “We are required to prove any criminal charge ‘beyond a reasonable doubt,’ which is the highest standard in the American criminal justice system. If the available evidence does not meet this level of proof, then we cannot ethically bring charges.”

Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty


Garcia and Chigvintsev met when they were paired together in season 25 of Dancing with the stars in 2017. At the time, the retired WWE wrestler was engaged to John Cenabut when they ended their relationship in July 2018, the DWTS the couple reconnected and began dating.

After going Instagram official in March 2019, Garcia and Chigvintsev became engaged later that year and welcomed their son in July 2020. They married in August 2022, celebrating their second wedding anniversary just days before Chigvintsev’s arrest.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or go to thehotline.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.