‘Dance Moms’ Star Abby Lee Miller Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Money Laundering

Reality star charged with concealing money during bankruptcy proceedings and smuggling money into U.S.

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“Dance Moms” star Abby Lee Miller pleaded guilty to federal bankruptcy fraud and money laundering on Monday in Pittsburgh.

Miller was indicted in October on charges of concealing income in the amount of $675,000 from her stint on the Lifetime reality show in 2012 and 2013. During that same period, her dance studio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Federal agents claimed Miller created bank accounts to conceal income she earned as an instructor on the show, which follows competitive young dancers and inevitably showcases conflicts between their mothers and Miller.

In addition, Miller admitted to smuggling between $120,000 and $150,000 in Australian currency back into the U.S. without properly declaring it.

According to the indictment, Miller filed a Petition to Reorganize her dance studio in 2010 and “schemed to defraud the bankruptcy court” by hiding her income from “Dance Moms” and related spinoffs, including merchandise sales. All in all, there have been three spinoffs.

“Events over the past several months have been extremely challenging for me, my family, my friends and most important, my students,” Miller said in a statement issued to the Associated Press. “Because of this I made the very difficult decision to close the door on this chapter of my life by accepting responsibility for mistakes I have made along the way.”

“I appreciate all the wonderful messages of support I’ve received from around the world and look forward to the future and getting back to my life’s work; helping young dancers fulfill their potential,” the statement concluded.

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