Ex-girlfriend claims Senators forward Arthur Kaliyev defrauded her of over $50,000.
Senators forward Arthur Kaliyev continues to face some serious allegations coming from his ex-girlfriend, who told the New York Post this week that the 24-year-old winger scammed her out of tens of thousands of dollars to fund what she described as a gambling addiction. The accusations first came to light last month in her series of social media posts.
In a very detailed article in The Post, Lauren Mochen alleged that the issues began two years ago when Kaliyev, then with the Los Angeles Kings, convinced her to deposit several cheques tied to his family’s business. Those cheques later bounced, leaving her account overdrawn by thousands.
“The bank calls me and says, ‘You cashed three fraudulent checks, who did these come from?’” Mochen told The Post. “Right away, I panicked.”
The Senators were aware of Mochen’s long series of social media posts and accusations during training camp. GM Steve Staios was asked about it by The Athletic's Julian McKenzie during the club's season-opening media availability and said, 'There's nothing to it, is what we've been told."
The team is now deferring comment to the league, which, along with the NHLPA, has already reviewed the situation. The NHL told The Post they found “no substantiation that anything Kaliyev was doing was in violation of our rules or applicable law.”
After the couple split up, Mochen filed a police report in Saginaw Township, Michigan, alleging fraud. But no charges have been filed.
According to Mochen, she lost more than $50,000 over the course of a three-year relationship with Kaliyev. The Post says it reviewed bank records, text messages and a police incident report that appear to support some of her claims.
Messages reviewed by The Post also showed that some of his teammates had also voiced concern over money owed. One message from Igor Larionov II, who plays in the KHL, claimed Kaliyev owed “around $50,000” to several Los Angeles Kings teammates.
The Post also reported that Kings management had to intervene last season when Kaliyev failed to tip team trainers and was barred from practices until the issue was resolved.
Kaliyev hasn't yet responded to the allegations. The Uzbekistan-born winger got into two games with the Senators in the early part of this season, but has mostly played with their AHL affiliate in Belleville, where he has 6 points in his first 7 games. He was a top OHL player in Hamilton back in the day, playing for Staios and former Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer.
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