Abby Lee Miller Begs For Mercy Before May 8 Fraud Sentencing

Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller has gotten herself in a ton of legal hot water recently and may face up to 30 months in jail. However, her attorneys are attempting to beg for leniency to ensure that Miller doesn’t actually face time in prison.

The reality TV star has pleaded guilty to hiding almost $800,000 in assets and failing to report money made overseas on Master Classes. According to Abby Lee Miller, after she filed for bankruptcy, the judge who oversaw her case saw her on television and further investigated her claims that she was flat broke. After noting that something didn’t add up, she was found guilty of fraud.

But Abby Lee Miller’s representation thinks that ignorance is the best defense.

And while Abby Lee Miller has already blamed her obesity on Dance Moms, she also claims that the show had something to do with her inability to keep records properly.

“At the time, Ms. Miller had no accounting experience. She was unfamiliar with the books and records of the dance business, and she had no understanding of the studio’s fiscal practices. Ms. Miller was overwhelmed and under-equipped, and this led to her failure to respect to the bankruptcy process. Her engagement of lawyers, accountants and other professionals was haphazard, episodic, and at times, counter-productive,” the court papers read.

Her representatives also claim she was “thrust into the media and Hollywood spotlight” and was “ill-equipped to handle it.”

The Dance Moms star has been hoping for parole, as she has even pitched a TV series to several companies that focuses on dance, but with a supernatural element. She hopes to bring some of the Dance Moms regulars to the new series, but if she spends time in jail, it will have to be put on hold.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Abby Lee Miller was asked if she was prepared to go to jail for her crimes. She broke down crying while thinking about the possibility.

“No, no, no. My attorneys in Pittsburgh have hired someone that prepares you — that mentally, physically prepares you.

“I’m not a real physical person so… you know… we’ll see. There’s no sense. People ask me, ‘Aren’t you worried, aren’t you this, aren’t you that?’ I can’t think about it. I have to live every day.

“I just don’t want to fight anymore, I have, like, this much fight in me left. I don’t want to do it anymore, just save my tears for the pillow.”

The reality star quit the hit TV show Dance Moms in March with a caustic Instagram post, indicting the producers for evidently making her life difficult. She states that misogyny and producers who put their two cents in, even without knowing anything about dance, were partially what made her cut the cord.

She has previously stated that there were times when she was asked to cut girls or entire parts of her dance team, and she did not want to. However, the producers drove her to do so for a plot device.

Abby Lee Miller posted a statement on Instagram following her departure, saying that she loves working with kids, but isn’t so fond of the producers.

“I don’t have a problem working with any kid, I love children and have dedicated my life to making other people’s children successful! I just have a problem with being manipulated, disrespected, and used – day in and day out by men who never took a dance lesson in their lives and treat women like dirt!” she wrote.

Miller will be sentenced for her crimes on May 8, 2017, when she will learn if she will face jail time.

[Featured Image by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]