Abby Lee Miller of 'Dance Moms' sentenced to prison

She tried to charm a federal judge, offering to take her to lunch after court. But in the end, reality TV star Abby Lee Miller couldn't dance around a prison sentence.

Unmoved by Miller's tears and charisma, U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti sentenced the "Dance Moms" star Tuesday to one year and one day in prison for bankruptcy fraud-related charges. With good behavior, Miller, 51, a Pittsburgh native, could be freed after 10 months.

"Live and learn," Miller told reporters after exiting the federal courthouse Downtown. "Live and learn."

She has 45 days to report to prison, most likely near her new home in Los Angeles.

After the sentencing, Miller walked down Grant Street and into an Au Bon Pain restaurant in the Gulf Tower, maintaining her sense of humor. Miller, clad in all black, requested that a Tribune-Review photographer only take her picture from a high angle, while flashing a smile.

She then told reporters, "This is only beginning," and hinted at a new reality show in the future.

"There will probably be dancing in it," she said.

An hour earlier, in front of Conti, Miller choked up as she acknowledged her wrongdoing.

"Why didn't I hold myself to the same standards I hold my dancers to?" she said, promising to never again be in criminal court. "I'm very sorry for what I've done."

In an attempt to demonstrate her dedication to dance, Miller made an unusual request.

"I wish you could take my class," she told the judge.

Conti, while stern, wished Miller good luck after prison.

"Somehow you got caught up in this world of fame and got sidetracked, and you lost your moral compass," Conti said. "It's important for you to follow the rules just like you have your students do."

The rules Miller broke stem from her bankruptcy filing in 2010 because of poor financial management of her business, which included a Penn Hills dance studio.

While she was still in bankruptcy, she became a reality TV star and started pulling in money from the shows and dance class events that her fame made possible. She didn't reveal that new income to the court.

Her bankruptcy involved about $356,000 in debts. Miller hid about $775,000 of income from her "Dance Moms" show as well as ticket and merchandise sales from her Master Class dance classes and other ventures, prosecutors said.

Miller's Chapter 11 voluntary bankruptcy reorganization plan would have allowed her to delay paying off her creditors for about five years without having to pay them interest, prosecutors say.

Federal bankruptcy Judge Thomas Agresti was ready to approve that plan until he came across her "Ultimate Dance Competition" while channel surfing. He also found ads for "The Maniac is Back" and her appearance on "American Idol."

He was livid and called her back into court, ordering Miller to fully disclose her income and assets and come up with a new plan that would pay off her creditors immediately.

Even after that, federal prosecutors uncovered numerous emails that show Miller knew what she was doing, including a 2013 email to her accountant and business partner telling them not to put cash in her bank accounts or "raise any red flags."

The subject line of the email: "LET'S MAKE MONEY AND KEEP ME OUT OF JAIL."

Miller in June 2016 pleaded guilty to concealing assets during her 2010 Chapter 11 bankruptcy hearing and failing to report bringing more than $10,000 into the country from Australia in 2014.

"She went from 'Dance Mom' to 'Dance Con,' " Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Melucci said Tuesday of her scheming. "This can't be allowed to go on."

Conti said she couldn't look past those emails and order straight probation, as Miller requested.

"It's not about the fame; it was always about bankruptcy fraud," she told Miller.

On top of the sentence, Conti imposed a $40,000 fine and a $120,000 judgment for the currency-reporting violation charge.

Miller's attorney, Robert Ridge, said outside of federal court that the defense respects the judge's decision and did not plan an appeal.

Miller chimed in: "I feel relieved. I feel peaceful."

Ben Schmitt is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7991, bschmitt@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @Bencschmitt.