Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller should have headed to court on Friday, but thanks to the government, she has at least two more weeks of freedom. Her sentencing, scheduled for February 24, got pushed to March 8.
When that day arrives, Miller will find out whether she will face two-and-a-half years in jail or probation for fraud. The case stems from Miller's finances. According to Deadline, Miller faces bankruptcy fraud, concealment of bankruptcy assets, and false bankruptcy declarations.
Miller has pled guilty to the charges, but Judge Joy Flowers Conti did add a second date for deliberations, if necessary. This buys Miller's lawyers, Robert Ridge and Brandon Verdream, one more chance to argue her case, but it seems pretty cut and dry.
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Deadline reports that Miller failed to claim over $750,000 of income earned from the Lifetime show. She is a first-time offender, however. And even though she is being indicted on 20 counts of fraud, that leans the sentence towards parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Melucci rejects Miller's claim that she was simply "overwhelmed" by the success of the show. Miller has been in an ongoing bankruptcy case as far back as 2012 and remained embroiled in it during the filming of Dance Moms. Maybe she had too much going on between filming the show, all those glitzy competitions, and shouting at children to get her finances straight. Melucci stated that Miller "intended to cause harm" to her creditors and pushed for jail time.
The two-week extension allows Miller to head to Mexico for "business reasons." Deadline reports that the trip may be part of her Masterclass program. Season 7 of Dance Moms has already finished shooting. According to ComicBook.com's pop culture blog, parts of season 8 are ready as well, just in case Miller gets sentenced to jail time.
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