In 2019, Dance Moms fans welcomed back the dramatic show after a nearly two-year hiatus which was caused, in part, byAbby Lee Miller's prison sentence. Miller, 52, was forced to step away from the show after being indicted on 20 counts of financial fraud by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Pittsburgh.

During the trial in her hometown, Miller, who is known for her crass teaching style, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve time in federal prison.

From her charges to her early release, here’s everything we know about Miller’s criminal history.

Why was Abby sent to prison?

To understand Miller’s legal troubles, we have to go back to her life before Dance Moms. In 2010, Miller owed close to $400,000 in real estate taxes on her Pittsburgh studio and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the Associated Press reported. Her bankruptcy case was still under review when Dance Moms aired the following year and the money started rolling in. In 2015, a judge was reviewing her still-pending bankruptcy repayment plan when an episode of the Dance Moms' spin-off, Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, came on, prompting him to look into Miller’s more recent financial situation, the Associated Press reported.

Both the IRS and FBI investigated Miller and found that she had hidden $775,000 of her income from the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, according to the Associated Press. It was also found out that in 2014, Miller had friends divide and smuggle $120,000 that she earned from her Dance Moms Australia masterclass tour into the United States from Australia. This violated the customs and immigration requirements to declare any cash over $10,000.

After these discoveries, Miller was hit with 20 counts of financial and customs fraud.

Miller’s case went to trial where she pleaded guilty to the charges and, according to Deadline, reportedly struck a plea deal with the prosecutors.

How long was Abby in prison for?

Miller was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, plus two years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay fines of $40,000 and $120,000. Miller reported for her sentence in July 2017, but her time in prison was cut short after just 10 months due to health complications. In May 2018, she was released and sent to a hospital where doctors discovered she had spinal cancer that required emergency surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy.

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Which prison did Abby go to?

Miller was sent to Victorville Federal Correctional Institution, a minimum-security prison in Victorville, California. In March 2018, she was transferred to a halfway house in Long Beach, California where she completed the remainder of her sentence before being hospitalized.

What did she do during her time in prison prison?

As to be expected, Miller has not described her stay in prison as a pleasant one. During an interview on Good Morning America, Miller described the cruel treatment and harassment she allegedly received from the guards and prison staff at Victorville Federal Correctional Institution.

"They come into your room they, they take your locker, they dump everything out of it," she said during the interview. "They take red soda pop and shake it up and spray it all over your clothes."

Miller went on to say that on her first day in prison, a female guard tried to pull off her eyelash extensions.

In an interview with Inside Edition, Miller stated that her thyroid and diabetes medications had been taken away and that she was put in solitary confinement for posting a photo of herself in the prison's visitors room on her Instagram page.

During her stay, Miller took a real estate class and earned a personal finance class diploma, which she posted on her Instagram.

What has she been doing since prison?

Since being released from prison, Miller has undergone two spinal surgeries and several rounds of chemotherapy and is now cancer free. She has returned to teaching dance and is once again starring on her hit reality show Dance Moms. Miller still has to use a wheelchair as a result of the cancer, but is undergoing physical therapy and is hopeful that she will one day walk again.

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Laura Hanrahan
Laura is a NYC-based freelance writer. When she's not binging the latest true crime docu-series, she's obsessing over all things Harry Styles, RHONY, and John Mulaney. You can follow her on Instagram @lauraehanrahan