Former “Dance Moms” reality star sentenced to federal prison in fraud case.
Former “Dance Moms” star Abby Lee Miller has been sentenced to one year and a day in federal prison for bankruptcy fraud and for bringing $120,000 worth of Australian currency into the country without reporting it.
According to ABC affiliate WTAE in Pittsburgh, U. S. District Court Judge Joy Flowers Conti also ordered Miller to pay $40,000 in fines and spend two years on supervised release after serving time in jail.
Miller, 51, apologized to the judge for her actions and said she regrets them every day.
Conti told Miller she could transition to a halfway house after serving 10 months of her sentence. She must report to prison in 45 days.
Miller was indicted on fraud charges in 2015 for allegedly hiding from a bankruptcy court $775,000 in income she earned after filing a petition to reorganize her Pittsburgh dance studio in 2010.
Last June, she pleaded guilty to purposely hiding that income. She also pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of sneaking $120,000 in foreign currency into the United States from Australia, which, according to The Associated Press, she agreed to forfeit.
Prosecutors wanted Miller to spend 2.5 years in prison, while her attorneys were hoping for probation because all of her creditors were made whole after the fraud was discovered.
Miller was known for her strong personality and fiery interactions with her students and their parents before quitting the Lifetime reality show in March. She later said she stepped away from the show because it had taken a toll on her mental health after years of “being manipulated, disrespected, and used day in and day out by men.”
Lifetime, which declined to comment on Miller’s departure, has kept the show going with guest choreographers, including former “Dancing With the Stars” pro Cheryl Burke.
