‘Dance Mom’ Abby Miller Terrified At Thought Of Prison In Fraud Case

Abby Miller admits she’s petrified at the thought of having to serve jail time.

The tough-as-nails Dance Mom star broke down in tears during a recent Inside Edition interview when the subject turned to her possibly serving 30 months behind bars after pleading guilty to bankruptcy fraud.

Miller is set to officially learn her fate at a March 8 sentence hearing before Chief Federal Court Judge Joy Flowers Conti.

Initially, she faced a 20-count indictment stemming from at least $750,000 in unreported income she received and failed to report when she filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010. Ultimately, she pleaded guilty to concealing the money, at least some of which came from her show, and other assets.

“The fear of the unknown is great,” said Miller, adding that she now often finds herself feeling totally alone. “But also the stories that you hear, you know, about being abused physically.”

For the most part, Miller has taken full responsibility for causing her own troubles, admitting not reporting the money was her own mistake.

“No one wakes up and says, ‘How can I cheat everyone out of money?'” she said. “I am expecting full responsibility. I was a dance teacher. I never knew anything more about what was going on at the front desk. I feel I took bad advice. I have a lot to learn, I have to take the blame.”

Miller recalls the source of her troubles started after she learned she owed $37,000 in back taxes on her dance studio and was advised to file for bankruptcy.

She insists things only deteriorated from there, including having to contend with a judge who saw a commercial for a spinoff of her Lifetime Network aired show and assumed she was hiding assets from the court.

“If I had it to again, I would ask 37 people for $1,000 each,” she said.

Miller has long insisted she isn’t as financially well off as many seem to think. She adds that in some respects, Dance Mom has been both a blessing and curse, on the one hand making her a household name but also leaving people with the off-base impression that she is a villain of some sort.

Miller’s attorneys are hoping the judge will take leniency on her and grant probation. Meanwhile, Season 7 of the show recently wrapped up and network execs are hoping she will be available for the eighth season.

Some media outlets have also reported that network officials have already shot some footage for Season 8 in the event Miller actually gets jail time.

As part of her initial indictment, Miller was also accused of transporting $10,000 in Australian currency into the U.S., a violation of a law requiring travelers to file a currency transaction report anytime they transpose more than that amount from a foreign country.

During an earlier sentence hearing back in January, Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Melucci roundly dismissed Miller’s claims that she kept the money secret because she felt utterly “overwhelmed by the success of the show.”

Melucci also theorized Miller “intended to use harm” to her creditors as a push for jail time, an assertion her team of attorneys have forcefully denied.

Prosecutors also recently objected to a request made by Miller’s attorneys asking the court to allow her to travel to England on business.

After explaining that her livelihood is predicated on her being able to travel, Conti granted the request, but instructed her in the future that all such arrangements would have to be made at least two weeks in advance.

[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]