'Basketball Wives' Star Brittish Williams Was Sentenced to Four Years in Prison — What Did She Do?

VH1’s hit TV series Basketball Wives has earned a reputation of being quite problematic and messy — from allegations of colorism to cast members not actually being wives of NBA stars. Still, loyal fans continue to tune in to watch the personal and professional lives of the cast unfold.

One of the show's stars, Brittish Williams, continues to be a mainstay in the headlines. After all, the reality star was facing a whopping 75 years for her crimes at one point.

And while it has become normal for some reality stars to have brushes with the law, Brittish’s story has caused folks to ask questions. Get comfortable as we spill all the tea.

Whew, chile! On Wednesday, May 24, 2023, Williams officially pleaded guilty to 15 charges that include 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, per the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“British Williams has admitted an unusually large number of frauds that victimized taxpayers, banks, credit card companies, individuals, and programs that were intended to help struggling businesses and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic,” U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said via a press release. “This is a first step towards justice for those victims. We will also be seeking repayment of all of her ill-gotten gains.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch shared that Williams’s law-breaking scheme first fell under investigation in 2021. Court documents reveal that Williams filed false tax returns from 2016 to 2019 and falsely claimed two children as dependents along with reporting that her business only grossed $15,000 when it actually grosses hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Additionally, Williams committed fraud at the same time by using other people’s social security numbers to open lines of credit, bank accounts, and loans, all resulting in losses of over $28,000. The reality star also deposited fraudulent checks into bank accounts to retrieve the funds, which caused losses of over $23,000, per People.

Not to mention, Brittish also falsified insurance claims with fake medical bills with unidentified co-conspirators and received nearly $140,000. Williams also received over $52,000 in PPP loans.

Williams testified that she submitted nine Economic Injury Disaster Relief applications, all containing false information ranging from income to her criminal history, and received nearly $145,000 in loans. She also shared that she used the loans to support her lifestyle.

Williams was officially indicted in October 2021 and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Williams was released on bond but nearly found herself awaiting trial behind bars after she committed another crime.

Yes, you read that correctly!

The U.S. Attorney’s Office shared that Williams committed rent relief fraud in California. In 2021, Williams was in the state filming Basketball Wives. At the time, she was reimbursed for rent with $4,000 and set to pay her landlord $3,803.

Instead, Williams applied for the California Rent Relief rent relief due to “reduction in hours of work” during the pandemic. She received $27,801 and pocketed the full amount. However, her work hours were not affected.

In total, Williams procured nearly $500,000 with her fraudulent activity.

Baby ... Jen Shah ain't got nothing on Brittish Williams.

Williams potentially faced 75 years in federal prison. Based on the rundown of each penalty, Williams faced 30 years for the bank fraud charges, 20 years for the wire fraud charges, and up to five years each for the five charges of misusing a Social Security number. She also faced up $3.25 million in fines.

In October 2023, she was officially sentenced to four years in prison, per Fox. Additionally, she'll have to pay $564,069 in restitution and will be on supervised release for five years.

U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey told her: “You knew what you were doing. You knew it was wrong, and you did it anyway.”