'Dance Moms' star Abby Lee Miller says she'll pretend her time in prison is like being on a movie set
— -- Former “Dance Moms” star Abby Lee Miller, who was sentenced to one year and a day in federal prison for bankruptcy fraud Tuesday, says she “wasn’t ever trying to hurt anyone.”
In an exclusive interview with “Good Morning America,” Miller, 51, reflected on her sentence for bankruptcy fraud and for bringing $120,000 worth of Australian currency into the country without reporting it.
"It sounds like a movie title," she said of the “one year and one day” sentence. “I'm going to pretend I’m in a movie and we're on set and I’m there for 10 months and that's the way it's going to be.” U.S. District Court Judge Joy Flowers Conti told Miller she could transition to a halfway house after serving 10 months of her sentence.
Miller was also ordered to pay $40,000 in fines and to spend two years on supervised release after serving time in jail, according to ABC affiliate WTAE in Pittsburgh.
Miller was originally indicted on fraud charges in 2015 for allegedly hiding $775,000 in income from bankruptcy creditors. She later pleaded guilty to the charge in 2016.
"I don't want to hear that [$775,000] number anymore," she exclaimed when asked about the hidden income. She said she was "not intentionally" trying to hide anything and “wasn't ever trying to hurt anyone.”
The U.S. attorney's office told ABC News: "This defendant secreted and structured profits that she derived outside the United States from performances by children" and that her actions "undermine our justice system."
If she could do it all over again, Miller said she would never have filed for bankruptcy.
"I would never had filed for bankruptcy ever," she said. "I do not recommend it."
Miller must report to prison in the next 44 days, but until then she said she is taking time to reflect.
"I didn't have any children of my own. These were my kids and I raised them like they were my kids," Miller said tearfully. “I have spent so much time and so much energy making other people's children stars.”
Miller said she is already working on new projects, including a book, and plans to fill her prison time with reading, writing and learning Spanish.
The fiery dance instructor said she hopes to "be a better business woman" in the next chapter of her life as she shifts her energy to “worry about” herself instead of her students.
