'Dance Moms' star's 2-day sentencing hearing set to begin

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A federal judge will decide if "Dance Moms" reality TV star Abby Lee Miller should be sentenced to prison or probation for concealing hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of income during her Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy fraud case largely boils down to one question: Did she intend to harm the creditors she owed? Federal prosecutors say she meant to hide $775,000 in income and are seeking a prison sentence of up to 30 months. Miller's attorneys say she simply got caught up in her fame and fortune, but always planned to repay her debts. They want probation.

A two-day sentencing hearing gets underway today before a judge in Pittsburgh. The sentence will be imposed when both sides return Feb. 24. The two-day hearing was scheduled so the court could hear from numerous witnesses.

"Ms. Miller's manifest intention has always been to pay her creditors 100 percent of what they were entitled to receive," her attorney, Brandon Verdream wrote in a sentencing memo.

But Assistant U. S. Attorney Greg Melucci's competing memo says Miller repeatedly lied to a bankruptcy judge, and worked behind the scenes with her accountant and others to hide her wealth. That was done because a court-approved bankruptcy plan to determine how much Miller's creditors would be repaid hinged on how much wealth she reported.