DWTS’ Artem Chigvintsev Says He Lost $100K in Income After Domestic Violence Arrest

Artem Chigvintsev is coming forward with new allegations. 

Nearly two months after the Dancing With the Stars alum was arrested for domestic violence in August, he has issued court documents alleging that his estranged wife Nikki Garcia—with whom he shares 4-year-old son Matteo—has caused him financial strain. 

“After the mugshot and the arrest based on her false allegations,” Chigvintsev—who was ultimately not charged with domestic violence—says in documents submitted to the Napa Superior Court, obtained by the Daily Mail, “I was taken off the website faculty list resulting in loss of over $100k in income.”

The former dancer also noted that his arrest has left him unable to seek out monetary gain from social media. 

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

Due to his alleged financial difficulties, Chigvintsev is requesting that Garcia pay for his out-of-pocket expenses as well as his rent as, the document notes, he was “kicked out” of his home. 

E! News has reached out to reps for Garcia concerning Chigvintsev’s latest filing but has not yet heard back. 

The 42-year-old also included his own perspective on the events that led to his Aug. 29 arrest, claiming Garcia has “anger issues.”

“She is the one with the temper,” he continued. “I try to stay quiet and avoid it. She yells, and on 8/29/24 was yelling, pursuing me, and was the one who attacked me.”

He added of the alleged altercation with the former WWE star, “I was not violent with her and did not violently grab or yell at her.”

And Chigvintsev also pushed back on Garcia’s recent request to include the couple’s son in her restraining order against Chigvintsev. (Although the couple has joint restraining orders against each other until their Dec. 6 court date, they continue to share custody of their 4-year-old). 

“I cannot trust her anymore,” he wrote in the documents. “Not only did she lie to the police so that her career remains intact, ruining mine, but she used the court proceeding to keep our son away from me for almost a month, not letting me see him until this Court issued its 50/50 orders on 10/15/2024, which I am very grateful for.”

In September, Garcia, 40, had filed a domestic violence restraining order against Chigvintsev, seeking to “protect herself and her son.”

“Although Nikki requested that the Napa District Attorney not file charges against Artem as she did not want him to go to jail,” Garcia’s reps said in a statement to TMZ at the time, “he must still be held accountable for his actions, and Nikki and her son must be protected.

Additionally, Garcia has been open about her desire to keep her perspective toward the former couple’s proceedings out of the public eye.

"This is a private matter,” a rep for Garcia previously told E! News, “and Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time."

Keep reading to untangle all of the proceedings between the couple since Chigvintsev’s August arrest. 

Artem Chigvintsev was arrested shortly before 10 a.m. on Aug. 29, Napa County Sheriff’s Office’s Public Information Officer Henry Wofford confirmed to E! News.

Wofford noted the Dancing With the Stars pro did not was resist and was taken to the Napa County Department of Corrections. Chigvintsev was booked on a charge of felony domestic violence with a bail set at $25,000, per online records.

The professional dancer posted bail and was released from custody at 2:18 p.m. on Aug.29, Wofford confirmed to E! News. A court date has yet to be announced.

While Wofford told NBC News Chigvintsev was arrested in Yountville, Calif, he did not reveal the exact location due to a request for privacy from the alleged victim. 

As a result of this request, he added, the Sheriff is also not releasing the name, gender or age of the alleged victim or the individual’s relationship to Chigvintsev. However, Wofford did have this to say about the arrest.

“When someone is charged with felony domestic violence usually this means there is a visible injury or credible eyewitness,” he told E! News, “our deputies felt comfortable arresting him on felony domestic violence charges.”

“Of course this could change with more evidence that might come through,” Wofford continued, “but at the time of the arrest the deputies felt it was a felony charge instead of a misdemeanor."

He also shared why victims may choose to keep personal information private in these cases.

“Some victims may not feel comfortable sharing all details at time the suspect is arrested,” Wofford noted. “Some victims feel embarrassed, threatened, or fear the incident may impact their family.  We have to give victims adequate time and support, which help them realize we are here to help.”

In an audio recording shared by TMZ Aug. 30, a dispatcher can be heard saying Chigvintsev had initially called 911 to request medical attention after an argument in which shoes were allegedly thrown at him. However, the dispatcher said the 42-year-old later stated that medical help was no longer needed.

Still, Wofford said authorities continued with their check.

“For domestic violence, if someone picks up the phone and says, ‘You don’t have to come after all,’ we’re still going to go for a welfare check," he told Page Six. "We’re not just going to stop what we’re doing."

As of Aug. 30, Chigvintsev has yet to speak publicly on the arrest or 911 call. E! News has reached out to his rep for comment but has yet to hear back.

Chigvintsev’s arrest came less than three weeks prior to Dancing With the Stars’ season 33 premiere. However, the past Mirrorball winner—who’s appeared on 12 seasons of the competition series—was not set to be a part of this season’s cast, Page Six and Variety reported. 

E! News has reached out to ABC for comment but has yet to hear back.

A rep for Nikki Garcia—who met Chigvintsev when they were paired together on season 25 of Dancing With the Stars in 2017—spoke out about his arrest the day after his booking and release.

"This is a private matter,” the rep told E! News Aug. 30, “and Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time."

Chigvintsev’s arrest came three days after he and Garcia—who share 4-year-old son Matteo—celebrated their second wedding anniversary.

“Happy anniversary my love,” the ballroom dancer wrote on Instagram Aug. 26. “can’t see my life with out you. You are my everything.”

In her own post, the former WWE star quoted the lyrics from Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and posted throwback footage of the couple in Paris, where they got married in 2022.

“This song is our love story,” she wrote in the caption. “I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem. Having a conversation with He & God. How my feelings felt too soon. It all felt too fast. And then this song came on. And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be. Happy Anniversary @theartemc I love you!”

Shortly after Chigvintsev’s arrest, Cheryl Burke—who retired as a Dancing With the Stars pro in 2022 after 26 seasons on the show—shared her reaction to the news. 

Noting Chigvintsev is someone she grew up with and lived with at one time, Burke said on her podcast Sex, Lies and Spray Tans that she was in “complete shock” over his arrest. 

“My heart goes out to everyone involved,” she shared on the Aug. 30 episode, noting it was recorded the day before. “It’s just really hard for me because he was my family. I don’t know what to say here other than I hope everybody’s OK.” 

In a clip of her podcast posted to TikTok, Burke also shared resources.

Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley shared on Sept. 24, 2024, that her office will not be filing charges against Chigvintsev following a "thorough review of the criminal investigation and careful evaluation of the evidence presented to the DA’s Office."

“If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available,” she wrote in the caption. “Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to…https://www.thehotline.org/.” 

In a Sept. 25, 2024 statement to E! News, Chigvintsev said he was "incredibly relieved and grateful" that his domestic violence charge was dropped.

"This has been an extremely difficult time for me," he shared. "I am thankful that the truth has prevailed."

The dancer added that he is "hopeful" in securing an equal co-parenting arrangement with Garcia, who requested for sole legal and physical custody of their son Matteo in her to Sept. 11 divorce filing.

Chigvintsev said, "I look forward to moving past this chapter and focusing on what truly matters—continue being the best father I can be."

Garcia obtained a restraining order against her ex after stating in a petition obtained by TMZ that Chigvintsev "tackled me multiple times and pinned me to the ground while our child was present."

“Due to the incident that led to Artem’s arrest on August 29, 2024, Nikki has decided to file for a temporary Domestic Violence Restraining Order to protect herself and her son,” Nikki’s reps said in a statement TMZ. “Although Nikki requested that the Napa District Attorney not file charges against Artem as she did not want him to go to jail, he must still be held accountable for his actions, and Nikki and her son must be protected.”