Abby Lee Miller, the combative star of the reality TV show “Dance Moms,” managed to avoid prison time after pleading guilty to charges of bankruptcy fraud.
Miller, the leader of the dance school that is the central focus of the Lifetime network reality series “Dance Moms,” was accused of failing to report income she received in connection with the television show. According to federal prosecutors, Miller illegally attempted to conceal income totaling $775,000 when filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It is believed that the bulk of this hidden income was generated by the “Dance Moms” TV show and various spinoff projects from the reality television series.
Miller also allegedly failed to report more than $10K in Australian currency that she secretly brought into the United States. When Miller entered the country in August 2014, she reportedly violated a federal law that requires anyone bringing more than $10,000 into the US to report the currency. Documents filed with the bankruptcy court indicate that Miller will have to forfeit $120,000 as a result of her plea agreement, suggesting that she may have been caught bringing that large amount of cash into the United States.
Remarkably, Miller got caught committing bankruptcy fraud when a bankruptcy court judge saw her on television and realized that her reported income of just $8,899 per month couldn’t possibly be accurate. A subsequent investigation by law enforcement, including the FBI, resulted in criminal charges being filed against the reality show star.
Last month, Miller appeared in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, PA and accepted responsibility for failing to be forthright in her bankruptcy documents. In an emailed statement, Miller said that she made “the very difficult decision to close the door” on a challenging part of her life “by accepting responsibility” for her mistakes. The tone of contrition is a new one for Abby Lee Miller, who is famous for being incredibly outspoken as she trains young dancers on the “Dance Moms” TV show.