At the end of the day, Todd and Julie Chrisley’s fraud was relatively simple. It’s shocking that it took this long to send them to prison. The Chrisleys became famous for their cable reality show, Chrisley Knows Best, which aired for ten seasons. The Chrisleys live in Atlanta, and they were billed as maintaining some kind of real estate empire, only it was all a careful mirage. They falsified bank records and loan applications and grifted tens of millions in bank loans which they then defaulted on. And they never paid their taxes. Back in June, Todd and Julie were convicted on ten counts of fraud and tax evasion. They were sentenced this week:
Todd and Julie Chrisley, the stars of the USA Network’s top-rated original series, “Chrisley Knows Best,” were sentenced to lengthy terms in federal prison on Monday for what prosecutors called a “15-year fraud spree.” Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie was sentenced to seven years, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta.
The couple were convicted in June of tax evasion and bank fraud. Prosecutors alleged they used falsified documents to obtain $30 million in bank loans, and then defaulted on more than $20 million in debt when Todd Chrisley declared bankruptcy in 2012. They also concealed millions of dollars from the IRS that they had earned from the show, the federal jury found.
Federal prosecutors had asked that Todd Chrisley be sentenced to 17-21 years, and that Julie face 10-12 years.
In a sentencing memo, prosecutors wrote that the Chrisleys flaunted their wealth on their TV show while stiffing creditors, including service workers and a contractor who was not paid for work on the couple’s house.
“Todd and Julie Chrisley are career swindlers who have made a living by jumping from one fraud scheme to another, lying to banks, stiffing vendors and evading taxes at every corner,” the prosecutors wrote. “Their ’empire’ was built upon the backs of defrauded community banks that collapsed while Todd Chrisley used the stolen money to fly to Los Angeles for bi-weekly haircuts.”
The Chrisleys’ accountant, Peter Tarantino, was also sentenced on Monday to three years in prison for his role in the scheme. Tarantino was convicted of conspiring to defraud the IRS and filing false tax returns.
What a sad commentary on American culture, honestly. These kinds of grifters exist in most wealthy societies, but I find it hard to believe that the Chrisleys would have been able to steal that amount of money if they hadn’t billed themselves as a “family values/white Southern pride” family, complete with a tacky reality show. They should have gotten longer prison sentences, but I’m glad they’re going away for a substantial amount of time.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
- LOS ANGELES – APR 1: Savannah Chrisley, Julie Chrisley, Todd Chrisley, Chase Chrisley, Lindsie Chrisley at the NBC Universal Summer Press Day 2016 at the Four Seasons Hotel on April 1, 2016 in Westlake Village, CA,Image: 507433836, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kerry Wayne / Avalon
- LOS ANGELES – APR 1: Todd Chrisley, Julie Chrisley at the NBC Universal Summer Press Day 2016 at the Four Seasons Hotel on April 1, 2016 in Westlake Village, CA,Image: 507434982, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kerry Wayne / Avalon
- 163626, Todd Chrisley, Julie Chrisley at the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards 2017 at the TMobile Arena in Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada – Sunday April 02, 2017. Photograph: © CPA, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000,Image: 512887910, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: CPA/PacificCoastNews / Avalon
- , Las Vegas, NV – 04/02/17 – 2017 ACM Awards – Arrivals -PICTURED: Todd Chrisley -PHOTO by: Vince Flores/startraksphoto.com -VIF100578 Editorial – Rights Managed Image – Please contact www.startraksphoto.com for licensing fee Startraks Photo New York, NY Image may not be published in any way that is or might be deemed defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification or question you may have. Startraks Photo reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this image. If you violate our intellectual property you may be liable for actual damages, loss of income, and profits you derive from the use of this image, and where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or statutory damages. Featuring: Todd Chrisley Where: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States When: 02 Apr 2017 Credit: Vince Flores/startraksphoto.com
This is really one of the few things yte folx just can’t get away with. Uncle Sam WILL get his money.
He will get it BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY.
Well, I never heard of them, but there’s one family of real estate grifters down. Who’s next?
My only concern is for the minors. Who’s going to raise Chloe and the younger son? As for Todd & Julie, they should have tried to make amends when they first got a hint the FBI was after them. They didn’t, so now they have to pay.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they allow Julie to stay home to raise the kids and report after the youngest is 18. IIRC the Guidice’s didn’t serve their sentences concurrently for this reason; they put one in first, then the other and deported Joe at the end.
Honestly, the only one I do care about is that young bi-racial grandchild they were raising. I feel bad for her and this all makes me mad. Like y’all have minors act like you got common sense.
Saw this on the news. Good! I confess to having watched the show for quite a bit, not sure why, I guess it’s the accents. The hubris is high, doing all this AND filming yourself for a TV show?? Then again, as JanetDR alludes just above, trump ‘crimed’ out in the open as POTUS!! I guess the Crisleys followed the trumpian model of grift.
I feel about as bad for these people as I do Elizabeth Holmes. As in, not at all.
I am aware of this family, I wasn’t aware that the charged were this serious. The younger kid was in a bad vehicle accident recently. They have custody of a grandkids and take care of his mom.
A lot of people depending on them and they really screwed it all up, wow
LOLOLOLOL HAHAHAHAHAHAH.
Seriously, saw a few episodes of this years ago and Todd was obviously an asshole/closeted gay and lying/jerkass, couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
His partner who he was having an affair with ratted him out to the FBI in exchange for immunity!
Between these ding-dongs, Elizabeth Holmes, and Jen Shah, it’s reassuring to see that justice and accountability still matter to some extent. Grifters and scammers really grind my gears.
Wow. That is a lot of fraud. Too much greedy money anger.
What’s shocking apart from the time it took to get them to court is that it’s basically what Trump’s been doing for years. And while his case isn’t as simple, the real estate part alone probably is. And yet…
For every one of these bastards who gets jail time, there are a 100 that don’t get caught.
Feebee, you said it. But I’d say it must be in the thousands that don’t get caught. They’re shifty as hell, have power and influence and their congressmen and senators are all too obliging in creating loopholes for them to wriggle out of tax paying. Also, “white collar crime” prison sentences are SO much lighter than penalties for other crimes. A person robs a gas station and gets $100 and a 15 year prison sentence. One of these grifters steals hundreds of thousands of dollars and usually gets less than 5 years. These 2 fraudsters are famous, so an example is made. I realize the human hazard of having a gun and threatening someone with it at the gas station crime. However, who made it so easy for desperate people to get guns in the first place? And we already know that these people love guns far more than their fellow human beings. Remember: when school children are slaughtered in their classrooms it NEVER leads to better gun control laws.
Well you would not believe how many Facebook comments I’ve read spouting how they were punished harshly with the their sentences and how people who have committed murder received less time…..totally shocked with those comments
Career long grifters getting their due ….. I remember while season 2 or 3 was occurring his real estate (?) grift were made public and loads of people made excuses for him
Federal guidelines for sentences is 85% of the time needs to be served. If appeals fail he will need to serve 10.2 years.
OOOOOGGGAAAA What in the world is Todd going to do surrounded by men 24/7!!!