Artem Chigvintsev, a Russian professional dancer, shared that his recent arrest on domestic violence case has had an impact on his financial growth.
According to US Weekly, the Dancing With the Stars alum claimed that he lost $100,000 in income following his arrest and blamed his estranged wife, Nikki Garcia, as a “real abuser.”
In the court documents, Chigvintsev said, “It is not true that I have not been able to find other work as a dancer. I normally start jobs in November and it goes for 20 weekends. After the mugshot and the arrest based on her false allegations, I was taken off the website faculty list resulting in loss of over $100K in income.”
He added, “I also lost the social media promotion revenue, which she continues to benefit from as she was more worried about her career when she lied to the police, than mine.”
Chigvintsev further insisted that his wife Gracia is the person who has “anger issues,” and he tries to “stay quiet and avoid it” when “she yells.”
He also quipped that Gracia “was the one who attacked me. It is further a lie that I was growing increasingly angry, snapping at her, and yelling. I was not violent with her and did not violently grab or yell at her.”
For those unversed, Chigvintsev was arrested on the charges of domestic violence on August 29, 2024, in Yountville, California.
The same month, Gracia filed for divorce and asked the court to grant her sole custody of their 4-year-old son, Matteo, but the court dismissed her request.
It is pertinent to mention that due to loss of income and restraining orders without enough proof, Chigvintsev asked his wife to cover his legal fees and costs and pay his rent since he was “kicked out of the home.”
