Abby Lee Miller, former "Dance Moms" star was sentenced on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 to one year and one day in prison. She had repeatedly said that she was afraid of going to jail. That did not stop a federal judge in Pittsburgh from handing down the sentence after Miller took the stand in her own defense. She asked the judge for leniency and promised him her behavior would be different if she had to do it over again. She blamed her fame for her crimes. During the hearing, five character witnesses spoke on Miller's behalf.
The sentence
About a year and a half ago, Miller was indicted on 20 counts of fraud for hiding more than $755,000 in earnings from her former reality show, "Dance Moms." Miller has to report to a facility in about a month and a half to serve her time.
It was reported that the facility will more than likely be close to Los Angeles. After she serves the year and a day, the 50-year-old former dance instructor will have to be supervised for another two years.
When Miller heard her sentence, she cried in front of Chief Judge Joy Flowers Conti and a courtroom full of people. In spite of her tears, Judge Conti told Miller that she had not been truthful about hiding the funds. The judge added that Miller lost her moral compass after she got caught up in the world of fame.
In addition to spending time in prison, the former dance instructor has to pay a fine of $40,000 and a $120,000 judgment for violating the currency-reporting charge. Miller's main attorney said his client doesn't plan to appeal the judge's decision.
Even though she cried during the sentencing, Miller said she feels relieved and peaceful. Perhaps she knows the sentence could have been much longer, and the fines could have been much more.
Lawyers wanted only probation
Miller could have gotten at least five years in prison, and could have been required to pay up to $5 million in fines.
Also, it is likely that she will not end up serving her full sentence. It has been reported that she could get out of jail in about nine months. The United States Attorney's office wanted the judge to sentence the woman to 2 1/2 year in jail. However, her lawyers pushed very hard for her to only get probation.
It is so ironic that Miller's fraud would never have been discovered if she was not trying to make a name for herself.
A few years ago, Judge Thomas Agresti was overseeing her bankruptcy case when he accidentally watched "Dance Moms" and wondered why money from the show wasn't included. At the time, Miller was claiming that her total income was only $8,899 a month, which was much less than she was actually making from the Lifetime show.
Since this high-profile case has been in the news for a while, more information will come out later about Abby Lee Miller and her sentencing.