NHL player Arthur Kaliyev accused of enormous scam to fund gambling

Model Lauren Mochen has come out accusing boyfriend and NHL player Arthur Kaliyev of scamming her out of tens of thousands of dollars to fund what she claimed was a rampant gambling addiction that also severely impacted his teammates.

In an article by the New York Post that reviewed messages, receipts, accounts and even an incident report, Mochen said Kaliyev scammed her out of $50,000 during their three-year relationship. The model alleged on social media that Kaliyev used intimidation tactics — telling her that people would harm him unless he paid — suggested indirect ways to funnel his money through her accounts and reimbursed her with fraudulent checks.

The ordeal reportedly started in 2023 when Kaliyev told his then 21-year-old girlfriend that he had received a check from his family to reimburse her for “accidentally” using her PayPal account to pay workers at his family’s shipping company.

Mochen had previously agreed to Kaliyev’s suggestion to link his card to her PayPal account and transfer money through it, after he claimed that his personal account was experiencing issues, according to her post on social media.

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Arthur Kaliyev #34 of the Ottawa Senators warms up prior to an NHL game against the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 16, 2025, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (André Ringuette/NHLI)

The $400 check was reportedly mobile-deposited, but Kaliyev soon told Mochen that his personal bank account had been frozen due to his family’s financial dealings and that he needed the money returned.

He then asked her to repeat the process with additional checks from his family’s company, depositing them into her account and sending the funds to him digitally, according to the Post. Over the course of about a week, she told the outlet that she handled several checks totaling $7,500.

Mochen then sent the money back via Apple Cash, hoping he would reimburse her in full once his account was unfrozen, the outlet said. But when she checked her bank account after several days, she was shocked to find a reported negative balance of $7,000.

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Arthur Kaliyev #34 of the Ottawa Senators looks on during a warmup prior to an NHL game against the New York Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre on Oct. 18, 2025, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  (Andrea Cardin/NHLI)

The bank said “You cashed three fraudulent checks, who did these come from? Why did you do it?’” Mochen recalled to The Post.

According to the report, the bank told Mochel that each of the checks bounced, but she had already paid Kaliyev $7,500 of her own money, in addition to what he already owed her.

Mochen emphasized that, while she transferred large sums of money to Kaliyev, he repeatedly claimed that people would harm him and that he would repay her, according to her social media posts.

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Arthur Kaliyev, of the Los Angeles Kings, stands during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 10, 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Lauren Mochen said Kaliyev began scamming her years ago, resulting in her losing thousands of dollars. (Andy Devlin/NHLI )

Mochen added that she had noticed other concerning financial behaviors from Kaliyev, the Post said. When he began discussing money with her, he switched to Snapchat, where messages disappear after 24 hours. Meanwhile, Mochen said Kaliyev allegedly used her personal information and a different phone number to create a separate PayPal account, leading to the theft of an unknown additional sum not included in the $14,114.88 she claims he took through her original account.

After her issues with Kaliyev’s checks and her bank—and following their breakup—Mochen filed an incident report on Sept. 4 at her hometown police station in Saginaw Township, Michigan, to begin disputing the charges with her financial institution related to Kaliyev’s alleged fraud.

Mochen isn’t the only one affected by Kaliyev’s alleged disturbing money habits, the New York Post reported.

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Mochen told the station that she heard Kaliyev owed several Kings players approximately $50,000 for a collection of fines, fees, group bets and betting pools, citing a text message involving current SKA St. Petersburg wing Igor Larionov II and longtime Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.

A second current Kings player confirmed to Mochen over Snapchat that Kaliyev still owes money to players on the team, the Post reported.

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A source also told the station that Kaliyev owed money to trainers, and his trade would be delayed until he settled those debts.

Mochen claimed, and text messages from Kaliyev appear to confirm to the Post, that Kaliyev was even barred from practices over the unpaid debts.