The new year did not bring much joy to Basketball Wives star Brittish Williams, who is currently serving time for fraud. On January 3, In Touch Weekly obtained exclusive reports that Williams filed to have her four-year sentence vacated due to her claims that the judge treated her unfairly. However, the United States Courts of Appeals denied her appeal, and this decision was entered on December 31 2024, over a year after her sentencing.
Shortly after being sent to Alderson FPC Prison in West Virginia, Williams’ lawyer revealed that she had filed for an appeal, due to their belief that Williams was being treated unfairly. “Brittish Williams appeals her 48-month sentence imposed following a guilty plea,” the lawyer said. “The district court calculated a higher Guidelines range than that explicitly agreed to by the parties, and failed to acknowledge Ms. Williams’s arguments that the negotiated range in the plea agreement should be given some consideration as it was explicitly a basis for the entry of the plea.”
Williams’ lawyer also stated, “The district court also improperly sentenced Ms. Williams based on her status as a reality TV celebrity, finding that she was more worthy of punishment because she failed to live up to the court’s ideal of a role model that it believed should be fulfilled by all public figures.” The court documents that In Touch Weekly obtained, stated that “the district court did not abuse its discretion when considering Williams as a “celebrity” during her sentencing, destroying her hopes of being resentenced. In light of the news, Williams and her lawyer have not provided an update on their next steps regarding the decision.
What Were The ‘Basketball Wives’ Star’s Charges?
Williams was indicted for her financial crimes in 2021. In February 2023, Williams entered a plea deal and pleaded guilty to 15 fraud felonies. Williams pleaded guilty to five counts of misuse of a Social Security number that resulted in victims losing $28,537, four counts of bank fraud that added $23,850 in losses, three counts of making false statements to the IRS, and three counts of wire fraud. In her plea deal, Williams admitted to underreporting her income and tax returns for 2017-2019, by falsely claiming her niece and nephew as dependents, which helped her avoid paying $29,366 in taxes. The court has accused her of obtaining roughly $565,000 through fraud and also of COVID loan fraud that resulted in earning $144,400 and identity theft.
In October 2023, Williams was sentenced to four years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. The judge also ordered her to repay the $565,000 she had stolen. During her hearing, the judge told Williams, “You knew what you were doing. You knew it was wrong, and you did it anyway.”
Williams’ sentence began in February 2024 after failing to surrender herself to the prison that was scheduled for January 2024. With her sentence beginning in 2024, Williams’ release date is in 2028, and her supervised release ends in 2033. Williams first appeared on Basketball Wives in 2014 and also appeared on Marriage Boot Camp. Basketball Wives can be streamed on Paramount+.
Basketball Wives LA
- Release Date
-
August 29, 2011
- Cast
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Draya Michele
, Royce Reed
, Laura Govan
, Gloria Govan
, Jackie Christie
, Sundy Carter
, Mehgan James
, Tami Roman
, Brittany Renner - Seasons
-
6
- Character(s)
-
Self
- Network
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VH1
WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+
