Abby Lee Miller, the former "Dance Mom" reality show star, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for hiding assets from U.S. bankruptcy court and covertly bringing in cash made during dance instruction trips in Australia.
Miller, known for her tough training and tirades on Lifetime's "Dance Mom" from 2011 to this year, sobbed in front of Pittsburgh U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti as she told the court about her 2010 bankruptcy and rocketing fame on the reality show, noted the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"I am very sorry for what I've done," Miller, 51, told the court, according to the Post-Gazette. "I can only assure you that I will never be before a criminal court again."
Last year, Miller pleaded guilty to the charge of concealing bankruptcy assets and one count of not reporting an international monetary transaction in a plea deal, reported E! News. She had faced five years in prison and a $5 million fine after being indicted in 2015.
Miller's attorney Robert Ridge said that his client was "ill-equipped for this fame" and urged the judge to give her probation, according to the newspaper.
"Why didn't I hold myself to the same standards I hold my dancers to?" Miller said in court, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The Tribune-Review reported that Miller, who now lives in Los Angeles, could be out of federal prison in 10 months with good behavior. She now has 45 days to report to prison, most likely in California.
Miller reportedly enraged U.S. bankruptcy judge Thomas Agresti when he learned of Miller's "Dance Mom" spin-off show "Ultimate Dance Competition" and her appearance on "American Idol" just before he was ready to approve her bankruptcy, the Tribune-Review reported.
Even though Agresti ordered Miller to come up with a new bankruptcy plan, federal prosecutors found emails instructing her accountant and business partner not to put cash into her accounts or "raise red flags," wrote the Tribune-Review.
One 2013 email had the subject line: "LET'S MAKE MONEY AND KEEP ME OUT OF JAIL," reported the Tribune-Review.
"She went from 'Dance Mom' to 'Dance Con,'" assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Melucci said Tuesday, according to the Tribune-Review. "This can't be allowed to go on."
Miller was ordered to pay a $40,000 fine and a $120,000 money judgment in connection with the money she made in Australia, noted the Post-Gazette.
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