Todd Chrisley
| Todd Chrisley | |
|---|---|
| Born: | April 6, 1969 Georgia, United States |
| Charges: | |
| Sentence: | 12 years in federal prison (reduced to 10 years for good behavior); Pardoned May 2025 |
| Facility: | Federal Prison Camp, Pensacola |
| Status: | Released (May 28, 2025) - Presidential Pardon |
Michael Todd Chrisley is an American real estate developer and reality television personality best known for starring in the USA Network series Chrisley Knows Best, which chronicled his family's affluent lifestyle in Georgia and Tennessee.[1] In 2022, Chrisley and his wife Julie were convicted of federal charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and tax evasion. He was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison but received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump in May 2025.[2]
Background
Todd Chrisley was born on April 6, 1969, in Georgia. He built his career in real estate development, accumulating significant wealth through various business ventures in Atlanta and Nashville. Despite projecting an image of extreme affluence, Chrisley filed for bankruptcy in 2012, claiming nearly $50 million in debt and only $4.2 million in assets.[3]
In 2014, Chrisley and his family began starring in Chrisley Knows Best, a reality television series on the USA Network. The show featured Todd, his wife Julie, and their children living a lavish lifestyle, with Todd portrayed as a strict but loving patriarch obsessed with perfection and appearances. The series ran for nine seasons through 2023 and spawned the spinoff Growing Up Chrisley.[1]
Criminal Case
Federal Investigation
In August 2019, a federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted Todd and Julie Chrisley on 12 counts, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and tax evasion.[4] The investigation revealed that the Chrisleys had engaged in an extensive scheme to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans.[3]
The Fraud Scheme
According to prosecutors, the Chrisleys submitted false documents to banks, including fabricated bank statements and audit reports, to obtain loans. They allegedly used these loans to fund their lavish lifestyle—including expensive cars, designer clothes, real estate, and travel—while their reality show was portraying this lifestyle as the product of legitimate business success.[5]
The scheme operated from approximately 2007 to 2012. Prosecutors presented evidence that the couple:
- Created fake documents, including fabricated bank statements showing inflated account balances
- Submitted fraudulent financial statements and profit-and-loss reports to lenders
- Used a company employee to create false audit letters
- Obtained more than $30 million in loans from community banks through these fraudulent representations[4]
Tax Evasion
The Chrisleys were also charged with hiding income earned from their reality television show to avoid paying taxes. While showcasing their extravagant lifestyle on television, they failed to file tax returns from 2013 through 2016 and concealed nearly $500,000 in income from the IRS. They allegedly used a company controlled by Julie's family to hide the reality show income.[3]
Trial and Conviction
The trial began in May 2022 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. On June 7, 2022, a federal jury found both Todd and Julie Chrisley guilty on all counts. The jury convicted them of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit tax evasion. Julie Chrisley was also convicted of obstruction of justice for providing false documents to investigators.[4]
Sentencing
On November 21, 2022, U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced Todd Chrisley to 12 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Julie Chrisley received a sentence of seven years in prison, also followed by three years of supervised release. The couple was ordered to pay $17.8 million in restitution.[4]
Judge Ross noted during sentencing that the Chrisleys had shown no remorse for their crimes and had continued to deny their guilt despite overwhelming evidence presented at trial.[6]
Incarceration
Todd Chrisley reported to Federal Prison Camp Pensacola, a minimum-security facility in Florida, in January 2023. Julie Chrisley was initially assigned to Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky but was later transferred to another facility.[1]
In September 2023, both sentences were reduced for good behavior—Todd's by two years (to 10 years) and Julie's by 14 months.[1]
Throughout his incarceration, Chrisley maintained his innocence, claiming he was the victim of a vindictive former employee who had provided false information to investigators. He stated publicly that he had "no remorse" because he believed he did not commit the crimes for which he was convicted.[6]
Appeals
The Chrisleys pursued multiple appeals during their incarceration:
In June 2024, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Julie Chrisley's seven-year sentence, ruling that the trial judge had miscalculated her sentence due to insufficient evidence that she was involved in the bank fraud scheme from its inception in 2006. However, the appeals court upheld her convictions.[7]
Julie Chrisley was resentenced on September 25, 2024. Despite her attorneys' request for a reduced sentence of no more than five years, federal Judge Eleanor Ross reimposed the original seven-year sentence, stating that Julie was a "core part" of the fraudulent scheme and had shown no remorse or admitted wrongdoing.[8]
The Chrisleys also filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review their convictions, but their legal battles were ultimately rendered moot by presidential intervention.[9]
Presidential Pardon
On May 27, 2025, President Donald Trump announced he would pardon both Todd and Julie Chrisley. The announcement came after an extensive campaign by their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, who had become the primary caretaker for her younger siblings following her parents' imprisonment.[10]
Savannah Chrisley had spoken at the 2024 Republican National Convention, publicly thanking President Trump for "standing up against political prosecutions and fighting for families like hers." She had also hired a law firm with political connections to pursue clemency.[5]
The White House stated that "The President is always pleased to give well-deserving Americans a second chance, especially those who have been unfairly targeted and overly prosecuted by an unjust justice system."[5]
Both Todd and Julie Chrisley were released from federal custody on May 28, 2025.[2]
Post-Release
Following his release, Todd Chrisley continued to maintain his innocence. In his first public statement after being pardoned, he declared: "I was convicted of something I did not do."[11] The family has indicated plans to resume their media careers and has discussed potential new television projects.
Impact on Family
The Chrisleys' conviction and imprisonment had significant effects on their family. Their daughter Savannah assumed guardianship of her younger brother Grayson and her niece Chloe while her parents were incarcerated. The family's various television shows were canceled, and their carefully cultivated public image of wealth and success was severely damaged by revelations about the fraud scheme that had funded their lifestyle.[1]
The case highlighted the disconnect between reality television portrayals of wealth and the actual financial situations of some reality stars, raising questions about the authenticity of such programming.
See Also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Who are Todd and Julie Chrisley? What to know about Trump's pardon of couple convicted of fraud". CBS News. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Trump pardons Todd and Julie Chrisley, the reality TV couple convicted of fraud". NPR. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Trump to pardon 'Chrisley Knows Best' stars convicted in 2022 of tax evasion and conspiring to defraud banks of over $30 million". Fortune. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Television personalities sentenced to years in federal prison for fraud and tax evasion". United States Department of Justice. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Trump pardons Todd and Julie Chrisley convicted of bank fraud and tax crimes". CNN. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Todd Chrisley Reveals Why He Has No Remorse After Tax Fraud Conviction". E! News. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ "Julie Chrisley's sentence in bank fraud and tax evasion case thrown out as judge orders resentencing". CBS News. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ "Julie Chrisley was just resentenced. Inside the judge's verdict". Today. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ "The Chrisleys want to appeal their bank fraud and tax evasion convictions". Fortune. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ "Trump to pardon reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted of fraud and tax evasion". CNBC. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ "Todd Chrisley speaks out for 1st time since Trump's pardon". ABC News. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.