Former "Dance Moms" star Abby Lee Miller's courtroom drama has finally concluded.
On Tuesday, the dance coach was sentenced to one year and a day in prison for bankruptcy fraud, along with two years of supervised release. She was also fined $40,000 and required to pay the $120,000 judgment.
Speaking with "Good Morning America," Miller got emotional as she reflected on her sentence for fraud and for bringing $120,000 worth of Australian currency to the country without declaring it.
"It sounds like a movie title," she said, referring to the jail time she has to serve. "I'm going to pretend I'm in a movie and we're on set and I'm there for 10 months and that's the way it's going to be." Reports say that U.S. District Court Judge Joy Flowers Conti told Miller that after completing 10 months of her sentence, she will be allowed to transition to a halfway house.
According to PEOPLE, the sentencing came after the 50-year-old dance coach was charged for attempting to hide her $775,000 income in October 2015. The funds allegedly came from "Dance Moms," its spin-off "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition," and several other projects. Miller reportedly hid the money in secret bank accounts sometime in 2012–2013. In addition, she was accused of sharing out $120,000 and keeping her friends involved by making them carry the money in plastic bags in their luggage in 2014.
Miller is known for her fierce behavior and strict personality toward her dance students. The Lifetime reality series follows a class of Miller's best students and the tumultuous relationship she has with their mothers. Critics have pointed out how Miller was emotionally abusive to the girls, with most of her students ending up in tears after she gave them a harsh critique.
It is also worth noting that this is not Miller's first brush with legal issues. Several dancers and their mothers on the show have previously sued Miller for assault and causing emotional distress.
