The sixth season of Lifetime’s “Dance Moms” kicked off Tuesday, January 5 with a special “top five moments” from previous seasons episode. But viewers aren’t tuning in this season just to see the dancers and the mom drama. Viewers want to know what is happening to Abby Lee Miller’s fraud investigation.
Abby Lee Miller is the loud, opinionated and strict dance coach on the show. She gets involved in and creates just as much drama on the show as the dance moms do.
In November 2015, Abby Lee Miller was indicted on bankruptcy fraud charges. Abby was charged with 20 counts of fraud including bankruptcy fraud, concealment of bankruptcy assets, and false bankruptcy declarations. She is accused of hiding over $750,000 of income in a secret bank account. She also apparently made multiple false declarations regarding monthly operating costs and expenses for the dance studio.
Prosecutors say Abby hid income she earned from TV appearances, dance lessons, and merchandise sales that she earned during her bankruptcy. Abby admitted to receiving some income from the Lifetime show but claims that she only received a partial income because she never had a contract.
When the fraud investigation came out, fans of the reality show Dance Moms were worried about what could happen to the show because Abby is a huge part of the show. Abby blowing up at the moms and being extremely tough on the children are huge selling points for the show.
One of Dance Mom’s most memorable moments is from season two when Abby threw a chair at Paige, one of the dancers.
The investigation against Abby Lee Miller is still ongoing. There is no work yet if any part of the investigation will be shown or mentioned on the show this season.
If found guilty, Abby Lee Miller could have to pay up to $5 million and could face up to five years in prison.