Prosecutors Are Requesting Lengthy Prison Time For Todd And Julie Chrisley
Although Todd and Julie Chrisley became famous through their USA Network reality TV show "Chrisley Knows Best," they've become infamous for their white-collar crimes. According to The Tennessean, in August 2019, both were indicted by a federal grand jury "on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, five counts of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and one count of tax fraud." In addition, Julie was charged with "one count of wire fraud and one count of obstruction of justice."
In an Instagram post following the indictment, Todd explained the charges were the result of a disgruntled employee seeking revenge. "Not only do we know we've done nothing wrong, but we've got a ton of hard evidence and a bunch of corroborating witnesses that proves it," he wrote.
Unfortunately for both Todd and Julie, that wasn't enough to keep them from being convicted. After a three-week trial that commenced in May 2022 and concluded in June 2022, a federal jury found them guilty on all counts, as reported by Us Weekly. The counts included "conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans," according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office of Northern District of Georgia.
The Chrisleys could spend over a decade in prison
After being placed on home detention and location monitoring following their trial, per Entertainment Tonight, Todd and Julie Chrisley were scheduled to be sentenced in October 2022. However, the two filed an extension request, it was accepted, and a new sentencing date was set for November 21, according to People.
WSB-TV in Atlanta, where the trial took place and the sentencing will happen, reported that prosecutors filed a memo stating Todd Chrisley's convicted crimes are worth up to 22 years in prison and Julie Chrisley's up to 13 years. "The seriousness of the Chrisleys' crimes cannot be understated," the memo read. "After they defrauded community banks out of tens of millions of dollars, they hid millions of dollars from the IRS, all while going on television to boast about how much they spend on designer clothes."
On the Tuesday before the sentencing, WSB-TV reported lawyers for the Chrisleys sent a 69-page memorandum to the judge, "detailing at length, their legal basis for why they believe the couple should face less time." As for how Todd is handling the situation, he shared on his podcast, "Chrisley Confessions," "Through the grace of God, because I have accepted — this is going to come as a shock to a lot of y'all — that Todd doesn't know everything, but God does. And that Todd's way may not be God's way, and that's because God's way is better."