Dance Mom’s Abby Lee Miller Pleads Guilty In Bankruptcy Case

Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller pleaded guilty today (Monday, June 27) to bankruptcy fraud and failing to report thousands of dollars in Australian currency she brought into the country.

Miller pleaded guilty to one count of concealing bankruptcy assets and one count of structuring international monetary transactions.

Last October, Miller was accused of illegally trying to hide $775k worth of income from Dance Moms, spinoff projects, appearances, and sold merchandise, when she filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Miller, 50, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Federal prosecutors tagged on the foreign currency reporting charge on Monday, and Miller was asked to pay at least $120k for the August 2014 crime. It is unclear if that figure matches the unreported income.

Authorities later accused her of dividing more than $120,000 into plastic bags and having others in her group put the bags in their luggage in August 2014, violating a law requiring people to report bringing more than $10,000 worth of foreign currency into the country.

Miller, who remains free on $10,000 unsecured bond, issued a statement last week accepting responsibility for what she called “mistakes.” Defense attorney Robert Ridge said in a statement Monday that it had been “a challenging time” and that Miller “appreciates the words of encouragement and support from around the world.”

Miller is scheduled on sentencing Oct. 11. Guidelines call for a sentence of 24 -30 months, but the defense contends that her creditors incurred no loss, meaning the sentence could range from probation to up to six months and up to $5 million in fines.   

The investigation began when a channel-surfing bankruptcy judge saw Miller on TV in December 2012 and figured she had to be making more than the $8,899 in monthly income she was claiming. 

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