After months of stalling, reports now indicate that Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller will plead guilty in the court case she has been facing wherein multiple charges of fraud are involved. While few details are available as of yet, it looks like the dance teacher is looking to put the situation behind her and move forward.
As has been previously reported by the Inquisitr , Abby Lee Miller and her legal team have requested numerous extensions and delays in her fraud case. The charges came last year, after the judge in her bankruptcy case saw her on television and questioned the income she had claimed in her filing.
Now, according to Fox News , Miller will be pleading guilty in court next week. The Dance Moms star just had another charge added this week, and she is accused of having brought in a significant amount of money from Australia that she did not disclose. That allegation of not reporting the money was added to 20 other fraud charges that were brought about last October, noted Radar Online .
It is not yet known what Miller will be facing in terms of a sentence, but she is expected to enter her guilty plea on Monday. She had entered a plea of not guilty last fall after the initial charges were brought forth. The statement released by her team indicates that the Dance Moms star is ready to take responsibility for the alleged issues.
“Events over the past several months have been extremely challenging for me, my family, my friends, and most important, my students. Because of this I made the very difficult decision to close the door on this chapter in my life by accepting responsibility for mistakes I have made along the way.”
Miller could face as much as $5 million in fines and 5 years in prison for the fraud charges she is facing. However, it seems a deal of some sort is in the works, and many Dance Moms fans will be quite curious to see what punishment she receives in this matter.
The currency reporting charge came about amid allegations that in August 2014 Abby brought more than $10,000 worth of foreign currency into the country without reporting it. The original charges alleged that she tried to hide more than $775,000 of her reality television income during her bankruptcy filing.
Reports detail that $228,000 of the missing income was from Dance Moms and Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition. Another $550,000 of income came via Abby Lee Dance Company merchandise sales, dance lessons, and various appearances Miller made.
The new documents filed related to the currency reporting charge request that she forfeit $120,000, but specifics regarding whether that is exactly the amount she allegedly brought into the country have not been detailed. Miller’s statement indicates that she appreciates all of the support she has received during this case, and she is anxious to close this chapter and return her focus to helping dancers realize their potential.
Dance Moms is on hiatus right now, but new episodes are expected to return to Lifetime soon. Abby has still been filming new episodes for the series, even though she has made numerous references in the past to perhaps being ready to separate herself from the show.
Fans will have to stay tuned to see what sentence Abby receives as a result of her guilty pleas and see what comes next for the show itself. Do you think the Dance Moms star will end up serving any time in jail for the fraud charges? Will the series continue with Abby Lee Miller and the elite team, or is a significant shift ahead?
[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]