"Dance Moms" star Abby Lee Miller moved to halfway house
PITTSBURGH — Former "Dance Moms" reality TV star Abby Lee Miller has been transferred from prison to a halfway house as she prepares for her release from custody. Miller has been in a California prison since turning herself in last July on fraud charges.
The 51-year-old Miller was originally scheduled for release June 21, but online records now list her release date as May 25.
Miller was sentenced to a year and a day in prison after she pleaded guilty to hiding $775,500 worth of income and bringing $120,000 in Australian currency to the U.S. without reporting it.
The 51-year-old had filed for bankruptcy after defaulting on a Florida condominium mortgage and a mortgage on her Abby Lee Dance Company studio in Penn Hills, a Pittsburgh suburb.
Her lawyer argued Miller had become "ill-equipped to deal with the brand she became."
Miller had a tumultuous 2017. In addition to receiving her sentence, she quit "Dance Moms" and went on an all-caps diatribe against the reality series, accusing the producers of sexism.
She wrote that she did not receive her due credit. "I WILL NO LONGER TAKE PART IN DANCE MOMS. FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS/ SEVEN SEASONS I HAVE ASKED, BEGGED, AND EVEN DEMANDED CREATIVE CREDIT FOR ALL THE IDEAS, AWARD WINNING ROUTINES, THEMES, AND COSTUMING - TO NO AVAIL!"
Last year, she said at her sentencing that her father had perfect credit, and when she took over his dance business and ran into debt, she intended to pay everybody back, but it became more complicated than she thought.
"I didn't realize when you apply for bankruptcy it's like signing up for more homework," she said.
While apologizing, she said the way she handled her money wasn't an attempt to deceive anyone but just a way to keep her business running.
