Williams and her lawyer, Beau Brindley, filed an appeal because they believed that her sentence was unfair as they were convinced that she got the harsh punishment due to her celebrity status.
- Nov 12, 2023
AceShowbiz - Brittish Williams is trying to throw out her conviction in her fraud case. A few weeks after receiving a four-year prison sentence, the former star of "Basketball Wives" formally raised an appeal against her punishment.
According to RadarOnline.com, Williams and her lawyer, Beau Brindley, filed an appeal because they believed that her sentence was unfair. They were convinced that she got the harsh punishment due to her celebrity status.
"Brittish Williams was punished today, not for fraud, but for her celebrity," Brindley stated. "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," the lawyer continued. "And we will challenge this sentence through every legal means available."
The four-year prison sentence was handed down to Williams on October 24 for 15 fraud-related felonies, including schemes connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the judge ordered Williams to pay restitution of $565,000.
During her sentencing, Williams and Brindley reportedly asked U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey for leniency so that she wouldn't be separated from her daughter, Dash Dior Gordon. "I knew better and I did wrong anyway," the reality star said, per St. Louis-based newspaper the River Front Times.
Williams pleaded guilty to five federal counts of misuse of a Social Security number, four counts of bank fraud, three counts of making false statements to the IRS as well as three counts of wire fraud back in May. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke, the crimes took place for more than a decade and continued even after the reality star was indicted.
