Update: According to CNN, “Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced Todd Chrisley to 12 years in prison with three years of supervised release. His wife Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release. Their accountant Peter Tarantino was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of supervised released, Ryan Buchanan, US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said during a press conference after the sentencing hearing.”
Todd and Julie Chrisley could both face more than a decade in prison after being convicted in June 2022 for tax evasion and a number of tax crimes, according to CBS.
Todd Chrisley receive 17 1/2 to nearly 22 years in prison, and Julie Chrisley be sentenced to 10 to 12 1/2 years in prison.
“Chrisley Knows Best,” the famous couple’s show, began in 2014. But some of the charges the two were convicted of date back to before the show’s first airing. Todd and Julie conspired to defraud community banks in the Atlanta area to obtain over $30 million in personal loans, submitting false documents to get the money.
After spending it on clothes and cars, the Chrisley couple paid back their initial debt with new loans, and then filed for bankruptcy to avoid paying the final $20 million that they owed. They were reportedly earning millions from their tv show at the time of this filing, according to U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.
The Chrisley’s lawyer has requested a much lighter sentence of around 8 to 9 months, but some prosecutors are pushing for a more severe sentence in light of the Chrisley’s behavior, claiming that the couple “engaged in a lengthy conspiracy to defraud community banks out of tens of millions of dollars,” writes CBS. In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors proposed Todd Chrisley receive 17 1/2 to nearly 22 years in prison, and Julie Chrisley be sentenced to 10 to 12 1/2 years.
Prosecutors similarly claimed that the Chrisleys showed no remorse, saying that “in 2013, while Todd was in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings, the Chrisleys filmed a promotional video for their new reality show about their extravagant lifestyle. In the video, Todd boasted that he ‘make[s] millions of dollars a year,’ and in another shot where he is standing in his walkin closet in his expansive house, he bragged that ‘in a year, we probably spend over $300,000, sometimes more, just on clothing.”
Todd and Julie Chrisley’s lawyer argued that the couple’s family relies on them, and “will be severely and negatively impacted when he is sentenced to imprisonment,” especially Todd’s elderly mother, writes CBS. Todd and Julie Chrisley’s family has struggled throughout this time to keep their relationships strong, particularly in the case of their daughter, Lindsie, whom they had originally accused of getting the two of them charged with tax fraud, says People. However, the family is standing strong together. Todd Chrisley spoke November 10th on the “Chrisley Confessions” podcast to discuss how he’s holding up, reported People. The reality TV star claimed that he could feel the Holy Spirit at his side, and that he won’t be giving up anytime soon.
“My testimony’s not going to be about defeat,” said Todd, “because defeat is something that the devil wants you to accept — and I accept nothing from the Devil. And you know I rebuke him all day long.”
Sources:
https://people.com/tv/lindsie-chrisley-will-stand-by-her-family-through-good-bad-ugly/
https://people.com/tv/todd-chrisley-reveals-how-hes-held-up-amid-ongoing-legal-drama/
