Abby Lee Miller Blames Prison Time for Why She's In a Wheelchair

Abby Lee Miller is blaming her time behind bars for the reason she's confined to a wheelchair these days ... suggesting she was punished for her celebrity status.

The "Dance Moms" star stopped by Bethenny Frankel's "Just B" podcast ... where she touched on her time in prison, having previously been convicted of bankruptcy fraud. As Abby put it ... she wasn't able to get access to her meds while incarcerated, allegedly on purpose.

Abby says she was "punished" in prison -- adding that's why she is now in a wheelchair. She says ... "That's why I'm in a wheelchair, because in prison I was punished and taken off all my medication, cold turkey."

Shortly before her release in May 2018, ALM underwent a spinal surgery ... where she was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She later went into remission ... taking on physical therapy and other treatments in order to relearn how to walk.

She still uses a power wheelchair to get around today.

While Abby copped to making some bad decisions, she sounded off on the investigation that landed her in prison ... calling it an "absolute witch hunt." The dance teacher alleged the judge's wife was a super fan of her show ... which she believes influenced the ruling.

Abby was charged in October 2015 for attempting to hide $775K of her income from "Dance Moms," its spinoff, "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition," and other projects. She was also accused of customs fraud, after failing to declare $120K in cash from her "Dance Moms Australia" master class tour. She pled guilty and eventually forfeited the money.