Will Dance Moms be cancelled if Abby Lee Miller is jailed? Fraud trial and plummeting ratings leave fans worried for show’s future
Studio boss could face up to five years in prison for bankruptcy fraud
DANCE Mom fans are fearing the show could be AXED after a shock ratings drop - and because studio boss Abby Lee Miller faces JAIL.
The choreographer will appear in court on October 11th to be sentenced on fraud charges, and could face up to five years in prison.
The show which is broadcast in the UK on satellite channel Lifetime, follows the journey of a young troupe of competitive dancers instructed by Miller.
But while there is plenty of drama on-screen - especially between the pushy and overbearing mothers of the talented young girls - there's been even more away from the cameras.
In June Abby, who has featured in the show since its inception in 2011, plead guilty to concealing bankruptcy assets and to one count of not reporting an international monetary transaction.
The court heard that Abby had had her employees smuggle more than £90,000 of US notes in to the country from Australia - and was read a damning message from the dance boss.
Abby texted them: “We have all this foreign cash... Need a little money laundering.”
The 49-year-old was charged in 2015 with bankruptcy fraud, concealment of bankruptcy assets and false bankruptcy declarations, and accused of hiding more than £571,000 of earnings.
Court documents claimed that while she was reorganising her dance studio in 2010 she was also scheming to "defraud the bankruptcy court" by hiding her true income, and accused her of having secret bank accounts.
If convicted, she'll face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to £3.7 million, although her legal team are hoping it'll be a lesser sentence of just thirty months as part of a bargain.
Abby recently revealed why she had plead guilty, telling :"Events over the past several months have been extremely challenging for me, my family, my friends and most important, my students.
"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."
Latest in TV and Showbiz
Despite series seven already underway, reports from the US hint that it could be axed altogether, especially after the departure of Maddie Ziegler, who is best known for performing in Sia's videos.
Last night's mid-season premiere attracted much lower ratings, pulling in only 961,000 compared to the January premiere's 1.3 million.
Got a story? email [email protected] or call us direct on 02077824220