'Basketball Wives' Star Brittish Williams Appeals 4-Year Prison Sentence, Says Judge Punished Her For Being Famous
Court docs obtained b
Nov. 9 2023, Updated 2:43 p.m. ET
Basketball Wives star Brittish Williams asked a higher court to review her 4-year prison sentence — in an attempt to have her time behind bars decreased.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, the reality star's lawyer filed an appeal of the sentence handed down on October 24 in federal court.
Her lawyer noted Williams wants the appellate court to review whether the lower court judge used the proper guidelines when sentencing her.
As we previously reported, in an indictment, Williams was accused of bank and wire fraud. Prosecutors claimed she misused social security numbers and made false statements to the IRS.
The Basketball Wives star initially pleaded not guilty but later reached a plea deal.
As part of her plea, Williams admitted she under-reported her income on her tax returns for 2017-2019 and falsely claimed relatives as dependents.
In addition, she allegedly "fraudulently used Social Security numbers not assigned to her to open accounts with credit card companies and banks.
Williams is known for being a reality TV star and businesswoman.
Prosecutors said Williams used stolen Social Security numbers to commit bank fraud. The indictment also said Williams lied to obtain $144k in pandemic loans. On top of that, prosecutors said she submitted forged medical bills in an insurance scam where her and another associate were paid $140k.
Williams pleaded with the judge to not throw the book at her but he ended up sentencing her to 4-years behind bars.
The reality star was also ordered to pay $564k in restitution and complete five years of probation after her release from prison.
Following the hearing, her lawyer Beau Brindley claimed his client was treated unfairly.
“Brittish Williams was punished today, not for fraud, but for her celebrity," he said. "The Court chose to treat her more harshly due to her status as a public figure rather than treating similarly situated defendants equally.”
“Ms. Williams success is not a crime subject to enhanced penalty. And we will challenge this sentence through every legal means available,” Brindley added.
Williams was furious with the sentence and rushed out of court with her friends.
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As RadarOnline.com first reported, while out on bond, Williams complained about the restrictions put in place by the court. She said her anklet bracelet cost her a lucrative deal with Rihanna's lingerie company and claimed it caused issues when filming Basketball Wives.