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Nikki Bella’s Husband Faces No Charges After Arrest

By Lyle Kilbane • Published 25th September 2024
Nikki Bella

WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella’s husband will not face charges following his arrest for domestic violence.

The star now known as Nikki Garcia married dancer Artem Chigvintsev in August 2022 after the couple started dating in 2019. Their relationship was featured heavily during the Total Bellas reality show that followed Brie and Nikki Bella when they were still under contract to WWE.

Recently TMZ reported that Dancing With The Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev was arrested for domestic battery after being booked into Napa County Jail.

According to the TMZ story, officers responded to a domestic violence call in the town of Yountville. There was an arrest made while injuries were involved – Nikki Garcia was never mentioned by name in the report. Chigvintsev is said to have called paramedics himself before calling to cancel although police still showed up as a result of the 911 call.

Nikki Bella’s Husband Has Charges Dropped

Nikki Garcia has now filed for divorce from her husband but it seems Chigvintsev will face no charges as a result of the arrest.

The Napa County District Attorney’s Office has issued a press release confirming that no charges will be brought:

Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced today that her office has declined to file criminal charges against Artem Chigvintsev, age 42, in connection with his arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence. The decision to not file charges against Mr. Chigvintsev was made after a thorough review of the criminal investigation and careful evaluation of the evidence presented to the DA’s Office.

While we take every arrest seriously and stand firmly against domestic violence, we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when supported by the evidence. We are required to prove any and every criminal charge ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ which is the highest standard in the American criminal justice system. If the available evidence doesn’t rise to this level of proof, then we cannot ethically file charges.

Domestic violence can either be filed as a felony or a misdemeanor and has a statute of limitations of three years or one year, respectively. At any time within the statute of limitations, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office may revisit the case if it learns of other incidents, or otherwise learns of facts or evidence not previously known.