In lawsuit in NYC, Olympic gold medal skating champ says manager embezzled $1.1 million

Gold medal champ says manager stole $1.1 million

NEW YORK — Olympic figure skating champ Alexei Yagudin has sued an automobile shop owner he hired as his financial manager, saying he stole more than $1 million from him.

Yagudin’s lawsuit was filed in federal court in Brooklyn on Monday. It accuses Michael Goldin of Avon, Conn., and an accomplice of squandering $1.15 million since 2003.

The lawsuit seeks more than $4 million in damages, saying Goldin promised he was investing the money in 13 Florida real estate properties, a dozen of which were never bought.

A message left with a lawyer for Goldin was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Yagudin, a four-time world champion from Russia, won gold in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, achieving the best marks of any single skater in the games.