Brittish “Cierrah” Williams pled guilty on Wednesday to over a dozen federal charges including scams that accumulated more than $446,000.
Source: Maury Phillips / Getty
The Basketball Wives LA star admitted to bank fraud, misusing social security numbers, sending fake bills for insurance payments and lying on federal loan applications. Brittish is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug 23.
In 2021, federal prosecutors said investigators discovered the reality star submitted false information on her tax returns for many years .
They claimed false statements were made on tax returns from 2016-2019, stating her business only grossed $15,000 when it in fact generated hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. In addition, the reality star falsely claimed two children as dependents.
With the help of other people’s social security numbers, Brittish opened bank accounts, applied for loans and took out lines of credit for her businesses. She also deposited thousands of dollars in checks taken from other people’s bank accounts to withdraw herself and never repaid her creditors racking up nearly $28,500 in debt.
Further, during the pandemic, the mother of one submitted applications to receive COVID-19 relief funds with incorrect information about payroll, income and her criminal past. Brittish got a big bag from this alleged scam that produced roughly $197,000. She also used fake medical bills, along with other nameless co-conspirators, to get a $139,480 payout from an insurance company.
In 2021, the business owner submitted another false application as she filmed a television show in California. The show paid her $4,000 monthly for rent and she was supposed to use the funds to pay $3,803 to her landlord but instead kept the money and applied for rent relief in the state claiming a “reduction in hours of work”.
Brittish was indicted in October 2021 and reportedly committed another crime not even nine months later. Prosecutors asserted she cashed a check for about $27,800 from the California rent relief into a St. Louis bank.
Federal prosecutors petitioned to have bond revoked but she told Judge Henry Autrey she was on the right path, focusing on work as she split her time between California and St. Louis.
The reality star declared, “I will not be committing any more crimes for the rest of my life”.
Source: Robin L Marshall / Getty
Brittish also took to Instagram to share her thoughts about her legal situation:
“Anything that I’ve went through that a normal person would go through privately I went through publicly. I hope my story, journey and my growth can help someone who is going through something similar or stops the next person from doing anything that could possibly have them in the same situation as me.”
She continued, “I am not ashamed, I am not phased by comments nor opinions. I am proud of the woman and mother I am TODAY. Everything I’ve been through I’ve needed to go through. I have learned patience, humility and most of all compassion for every walk of life. I don’t believe in loses. Just lessons to make better decisions in the future! Love you! And thanks for rocking with me”.
