Chrisley Knows Best stars Todd and Julie Chrisley are headed to prison.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced Todd Chrisley, 54, to 12 years in federal prison for bank and tax fraud offenses and Julie Chrisley, 49, to seven years, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The husband-and-wife duo, who were convicted earlier this year, received an additional 16 months of probation each and were ordered by the court to pay restitution, the amount of which will be determined at a later date.
An attorney for Todd Chrisley didn’t immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors had estimated that Todd faced up to 22 years and Julie up to 12 and a half before the sentencing. In June, the Chrisleys were each found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the IRS, and tax evasion. Julie was also charged with wire fraud and obstruction of justice, and an accountant for the couple, Peter Tarantino, was charged with conspiracy to defraud the IRS and willfully filing false tax returns, per the AP. Tarantino was sentenced Monday as well, to three years.
“Over the course of a decade, the defendants defrauded banks out of tens of millions of dollars while evading payment of their federal income taxes” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a statement Monday. “Their lengthy sentences reflect the magnitude of their criminal scheme and should serve as a warning to others tempted to exploit our nation’s community banking system for unlawful personal gain.”
“As this sentencing proves, when you lie, cheat, and steal, justice is blind to your fame, fortune, and position,” added Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is proud to work with our law enforcement partners at the IRS and the U.S. Attorney’s office to pursue and prosecute individuals that are driven by greed to evade the law.”
The Chrisleys were first indicted in August 2019 (and denied all charges at the time), and a new indictment was filed earlier this year. Their trial lasted three weeks.
The couple are best known for their eponymous reality show, which wrapped up its ninth season on USA Network in August. It was previously renewed for a 10th season, and a source familiar with the situation told EW the network has some episodes of season 10 that were shot prior to the trial that will air next year, but no official decision has been made yet about the future of the show.
Representatives for USA declined to comment on the sentencing.
News of the Chrisleys’ sentencing comes just over a week after their 16-year-old son, Grayson, was hospitalized after sustaining injuries in a car accident in Nashville.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
