During a Monday, Nov. 2 court appearance, Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller pled not guilty to the bankruptcy fraud charges brought against her in October. She also paid a $10,000 bond and asked for a jury trial. According to Deadline, no court date has been set for the trial, but will reportedly be about 11-days long. Regarding Miller's traveling schedule, she can travel domestically, but must alert the feds if she wants to travel internationally. Per the Huffington Post, the dance instructor's defense attorney Robert Ridge previously said he wouldn't comment on the allegations, but mentioned his client would enter a plea of not guilty. Bustle reached out to Miller's reps when the charges were first announced, but did not receive a response at time of request.
According to Pittsburgh's WTAE, before entering the courthouse on Monday Miller was asked by reporters outside to comment and she responded, "I didn't have my hair done." She then added, "Season 6 jackets are on sale on the website Wednesday." When asked if she took the charges seriously, she answered, "Yes."
As reported in October, a federal grand jury indicted Miller on 20 counts of bankruptcy fraud, concealing assets, and making false bankruptcy declarations. She is facing up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count. Per the statement released by federal prosecutors in October, Miller filed a Petition to Reorganize her dance studio in December 2010. The statement claims, "Miller then schemed to defraud the bankruptcy court by concealing income she earned between 2012 and 2013 from her performances on the reality TV show Dance Moms and related spinoff TV shows, as well as from Masterclass dance sessions and merchandise and apparel sales."
The federal prosecutors' statement also alleges that she "created bank accounts to hide the income, and instructed others to conceal certain income from the bankruptcy court and Trustee." Moreover, the statement claims she concealed a total of approximately $755,492.85 from the Trustee and creditors and "gained favorable terms to restructure debt from her fraudulent acts." Ridge said at the time of the indictment: "We haven't seen the indictment yet, so we'll have to take a look at it and respond accordingly."
Deadline also reported that on Monday Miller's other lawyer Brandon Verdream filed a proposed order for Miller to have an additional 45 days to submit any pre-trial motions. If the courts grants the request, she won't have to file any pre-trial motions until Dec. 17.
