Former 'Basketball Wives' Star Brittish Williams' Request To Overturn Fraud Prison Sentence Denied

Brittish Williams of Basketball Wives recently had her appeal request denied after she attempted to overturn a four-year prison sentence in relation to a fraud case.

The information was revealed in documents obtained by In Touch, in which the Court of Appeals denied the TV personality's request to be re-sentenced. Williams —who spent two seasons on the catty reality TV series — claimed she had been treated unfairly during the time of the ruling.

However, court documents declined Williams' claims of mistreatment, as the order stated "The district court did not abuse its discretion" when considering the 35-year-old's sentencing.

According to the Eastern District of Missouri's Department of Justice, the former reality show cast member committed fraud after using social security numbers which didn't belong to her to open credit card and bank accounts. She reportedly failed to pay on the accounts, causing companies to lose $28,537.

Williams deposited thousands of dollars worth of checks taken from accounts she didn't own without their consent before withdrawing the money. Per the state, this caused an additional $23,850 in financial losses. Prosecutors estimated that her fraud schemes, tax evasions, and false medical claims to an insurance company earned her $564,069. The mother of one pled guilty to 15 counts and was sentenced five months after.

During her sentencing dating back to October 2023, the judge presiding over the case was dismayed by the case, ordering Williams to serve four years in prison, in addition to five years of supervised release, per In Touch.

"You knew what you were doing. You knew it was wrong and you did it anyway," the judge told Williams, per the celeb outlet. In addition to time served, she was also ordered to pay back $565,000.

"The defendant launched a scheme that led to a variety of financial crimes including tax fraud, bank fraud, COVID loan fraud and identity theft," an agent on the case stated, per the celeb outlet. "Ms. Williams displayed a blatant disregard for the victims of her deceit. Financial crimes of this magnitude deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law," the agent added.

Throwing the book at the reality star sparked her claims that she was treated unfairly in the judgment of her case, citing her status as a reality star and arguing that her sentencing was "unreasonable."

"Brittish Williams appeals her 48-month sentence imposed following a guilty plea. 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 argued in her appeal.

"Regardless of what the court privately believed a celebrity should be, it is inappropriate to punish a criminal defendant for failing to live up to that standard that it would not impose upon the average defendant. Ms. Williams was not a public official or civil servant. She wasn't holding herself out as a role model or moral guide."

Her lawyer continued: "She was a reality tv star and entertainer. The standard she should be compared against is no different from the standard that a plumber or pilot should be held to."

Williams' case was taken to higher court last September, before her appeal's rejection took place December 31. The 35-year-old was ordered to serve time at Alderson FPC prison in West Virginia, per In Touch.

She refused to surrender on January 3, 2024, but was taken into custody on January 12. In December, she asked the court to delay her surrender date to spend the holidays with her daughter and sort out her living arrangements.

Tags

Fraud, Prison