Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller could face some substantial amount of prison time after being indicted for bankruptcy fraud.
According to an earlier report by the Inquisitr , Abby Lee Miller was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of bankruptcy fraud, concealment of bankruptcy assets, and false bankruptcy declarations and, as a result, the reality star could be facing not only some hefty fines, but also some substantial time behind bars.
Abby Lee Miller is no stranger to the courts. In fact, the Dance Moms star was involved in two separate lawsuits, both having to do with fellow Dance Moms stars Kelly Hyland and her daughter, Paige Hyland. The lawsuit involving Miller and Kelly Hyland was settled earlier this summer and resulted in a dismissal.
The lawsuit was actually brought up against Kelly Hyland as a result of an incident on Season 4 of Dance Moms, where Hyland and Miller ended up in a physical altercation. Police were called following the incident, and both women believed that the footage of the fight would work to their advantage. In the end, Kelly was dismissed of all charges as long as she agreed to complete two mandatory days of counseling and agreed to stay away from Abby Lee Miller for six months.
As for the case of Paige Hyland vs Abby Lee Miller , the lawsuit cited emotional distress, defamation, and breach of contract, according to an earlier report by the Inquisitr . At the time of this lawsuit, documents stated that Paige “reasonably feared she would be physically injured,” and that the producers had allowed the toxic atmosphere because it made the show more entertaining, according to People magazine. It was reported later that those charges against Miller were also dropped.
While those cases seemed to go in favor of Abby Lee Miller, it seems as if the latest case against her isn’t going as planned. According to Deadline , Abby Lee Miller is alleged to have hidden more than $775,000 in earnings from her reality show, which airs on Lifetime.
“The indictment, handed up Tuesday, charges that when Ms. Miller reorganized her dance studio — the Abby Lee Dance Co. in Penn Hills — in December 2010, she schemed to defraud the bankruptcy court by hiding her income from the reality-TV, Lifetime show ‘Dance Moms’ and related spinoffs, as well as from dance sessions and merchandise sales.”
Reports state that Miller could face up to five years in prison and could end up receiving fines of $250,000. If she does end up behind bars, then what will happen to Dance Moms ? According to a previous report by the Inquisitr , Miller has stated before that if producers wanted to continue the show without her, then they could.
Problem is, if the show’s popularity stems from the drama that is brought forth due to Abby Lee Miller’s actions on the show, then it would stand to reason that if Miller was sent off to prison, then the show would either have to go on hiatus or be cancelled altogether.
There had been some talk of the series ending at the end of Season 5 due to the fact that there seemed to be some discrepancies revolving around Miller and her contract, but those rumors were shut down rather quickly, as Abby took to Twitter to announce the starting of filming for Season 6.
Started filming season 6 today of #DanceMoms ! Get excited!!!
— Abby Lee Miller (@Abby_Lee_Miller) October 8, 2015
Now that Abby Lee Miller has been indicted on fraud charges, do you believe that Dance Moms will continue on? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
[Photo by Jason Merritt / Getty Images for MTV]