Amanda Knapp
Brittish Williams, a former cast member of VH1's Basketball Wives, was sentenced to four years in prison in October 2023 for committing $564,069 worth of fraud. Williams, a 33-year-old reality TV star and St. Louis radio personality, pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, including tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud, and pandemic fraud. She failed to surrender herself to federal prison in January 2024 and was subsequently taken into custody by U.S. Marshals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Brittish Cierrah Williams |
| Age | 33 |
| Occupation | Reality TV star, Radio personality |
| Crime | Fraud |
| Sentence | 4 years in prison, 5 years of supervised release, $564,069 in restitution |
| Fraud Type | Tax fraud, Bank fraud, Insurance fraud, Pandemic fraud, Wire fraud, Social Security fraud |
| Plea | Guilty |
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What You'll Learn
- Brittish Williams was sentenced to four years in prison for multiple fraud felonies
- Williams' fraud schemes totalled \$564,069 in losses
- Williams failed to surrender herself to federal prison and was taken into custody by US Marshals
- Williams' attorney argued that her celebrity status influenced her harsh sentence
- Williams' fraudulent activity included tax fraud, bank fraud, and misuse of Social Security numbers
Brittish Williams was sentenced to four years in prison for multiple fraud felonies
Brittish Williams, a reality TV star on VH1's "Basketball Wives", was sentenced to four years in prison for multiple fraud felonies. Williams pleaded guilty to 15 federal charges, including tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud, and three separate pandemic fraud schemes. She also pleaded guilty to five counts of misuse of a Social Security number, four counts of bank fraud, three counts of making false statements to the IRS, and three counts of wire fraud. In total, Williams admitted to committing 15 felonies.
Williams' charges stem from a variety of fraudulent activities, including under-reporting her income on tax returns for 2017-2019 and falsely claiming dependents, which resulted in her avoiding nearly $30,000 in taxes owed. She also fraudulently used Social Security numbers not assigned to her to open accounts with credit card companies and banks, resulting in losses for the creditors she failed to pay back. Additionally, she submitted nine applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans, four Paycheck Protection Program loans, and one rent relief program loan in California, receiving a total of $144,400 in loans that she used to fund her personal lifestyle. Williams also submitted fake medical bills to an insurance company, resulting in her and her co-conspirators receiving close to $140,000.
Williams' sentence has caused some controversy, with her attorney, Beau Brindley, arguing that she was punished for her celebrity status rather than for the fraud itself. Williams and her lawyer have requested a higher court to review her prison sentence, arguing that it does not follow proper guidelines. Despite her initial sentence, Williams will likely face additional consequences, as the U.S. Attorney's Office has stated they will be seeking repayment of all her ill-gotten gains.
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Williams' fraud schemes totalled \$564,069 in losses
Brittish Cierrah Williams, a former cast member of the reality TV show "Basketball Wives", was sentenced to four years in prison for committing fraud totalling $564,069 in losses. Williams pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, including tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud, and pandemic fraud.
Williams' fraudulent activities included the misuse of Social Security numbers, submitting false information to the IRS, and wire fraud. She used stolen Social Security numbers to open bank accounts and deposit checks from other people's accounts without their knowledge, resulting in losses of $23,850. Williams also submitted false applications for pandemic relief loans, claiming her business income and payroll were affected when they were not, and used the funds for her personal lifestyle. She received $144,400 from these loans and an additional $52,647 from four Paycheck Protection Program loans. Furthermore, Williams submitted fake medical bills to insurance companies, resulting in losses of $139,479. She also failed to file tax returns and listed herself as "exempt" on forms, resulting in no taxes being withheld from her $90,000 salary.
Williams' actions caused significant financial losses and demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law. As a result of her crimes, she was sentenced to prison time and ordered to pay restitution for the total amount of losses incurred.
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Williams failed to surrender herself to federal prison and was taken into custody by US Marshals
Brittish Cierrah Williams, a former cast member of "Basketball Wives LA" and "Marriage Boot Camp", was sentenced to four years in prison in October 2023 for committing $564,069 worth of fraud. Williams pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, including tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud, and three separate pandemic fraud schemes.
Williams' surrender date was initially extended so she could spend the Christmas holiday with her 5-year-old daughter. However, Williams failed to report to the Federal Prison Camp Alderson in West Virginia on January 3, 2024, as mandated. She was subsequently arrested in St. Louis and taken into custody by US Marshals.
Williams' attorney, Michael Thompson, claimed that his client's failure to report to prison was due to a ""miscommunication" with her lawyers. Williams apologized to the judge, and her bond was revoked. She was remanded to the custody of the US Marshals and will be extradited to a women's minimum-security facility in Alderson.
In addition to the four-year prison sentence, Williams was also sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $564,069 in restitution.
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Williams' attorney argued that her celebrity status influenced her harsh sentence
Brittish Williams, a former cast member of "Basketball Wives", was sentenced to four years in prison for committing $564,069 worth of frauds. Williams' attorney, Beau Brindley, argued that his client was "punished [...] not for fraud, but for her celebrity". He claimed that the court treated Williams more harshly due to her status as a public figure, asserting that her success should not be a reason for an enhanced penalty.
Williams' crimes included tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud, and pandemic fraud. She pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, including misuse of Social Security numbers, making false statements to the IRS, and wire fraud. During the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey told Williams, "You knew what you were doing. You knew it was wrong, and you did it anyway [...] Not only are you out there for people to watch your entertainment, but also for people to watch you. That's a big obligation."
Williams' attorney, Brindley, vowed to challenge the sentence through all available legal means, stating that Williams' celebrity status should not have influenced her punishment. He argued that similarly situated defendants should be treated equally, regardless of their public profile.
While the prosecution pushed for a 63-month prison sentence, the defence suggested an 18-month sentence. Ultimately, Williams received a four-year sentence, reflecting the court's consideration of her celebrity status and the seriousness of her crimes.
In addition to her prison sentence, Williams was ordered to pay $564,069 in restitution and will be under supervised release for five years following her release from prison.
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Williams' fraudulent activity included tax fraud, bank fraud, and misuse of Social Security numbers
Brittish Cierrah Williams, a former cast member of the VH1 reality TV show "Basketball Wives", was sentenced to four years in prison for committing $564,069 worth of fraud. Williams' fraudulent activity included tax fraud, bank fraud, and misuse of Social Security numbers.
Williams, a 33-year-old St. Louis, Missouri area radio personality, pleaded guilty to 15 felonies: five counts of misuse of a Social Security number, four counts of bank fraud, three counts of making false statements to the IRS, and three counts of wire fraud. Williams admitted to under-reporting her income on tax returns for 2017-2019 and falsely claiming a niece and nephew as dependents, which enabled her to avoid paying $29,366 in taxes. She also used stolen Social Security numbers to open bank accounts and commit bank fraud. Williams deposited thousands of dollars' worth of checks taken from other people's accounts without their knowledge and then withdrew the money, causing $23,850 in losses.
In addition to tax and bank fraud, Williams also committed insurance fraud by submitting fake medical bills to at least one insurance company, resulting in $139,479.92 paid to her or her co-conspirators. She also failed to disclose that her rent was reimbursed by the network that produces "Basketball Wives LA", and she applied for and received $27,801 in rent relief from the state of California by falsely claiming a reduction in work hours due to the pandemic. Williams' total known actual and intended losses from all her frauds and schemes were $564,069.
Williams was initially supposed to report to Federal Prison Camp Alderson in West Virginia on January 3, 2024, but she failed to surrender herself and was arrested in St. Louis. She was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals and her bond was revoked.
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Frequently asked questions
Brittish Williams is a reality TV star and former girlfriend of basketball player Lorenzo Gordon. She appeared on two seasons of the VH1 reality TV show 'Basketball Wives'.
'Basketball Wives' is an American reality TV show that follows the lives of women who are either the wife, ex-wife or girlfriend of an NBA player.
Brittish Williams pleaded guilty to 15 charges, including misuse of a social security number, bank fraud, and wire fraud. She was facing up to 75 years in federal prison.
It is estimated that Brittish Williams has a net worth of between $500,000 and $1 million.
