Disgraced reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted in a scheme to swindle banks out of millions of dollars, walked free from prison Wednesday after they were pardoned by President Donald Trump, their lawyers said.
“President Trump feels very focused on the issue of criminal justice because he has been a focus of investigations that were directed at him,” Little said.
In addition, Savannah Chrisley revealed on her podcast in April 2024 that she had teamed up with Tolman to possibly work on conservative criminal justice reform.
The Chrisleys are the latest high-profile people to win pardons from Trump after having claimed to be victims of a weaponized Biden Justice Department.
Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years.
Following their pardon by President Donald Trump on Wednesday, disgraced reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were found guilty of a scheme to defraud banks of millions of dollars, were released from prison, according to their attorneys.
The two, who are well-known for the show “Chrisley Knows Best,” were returning home to Nashville after being released, according to the law firm Litson PLLC.
Following intervention by one of their daughters, the “Trumps of the South,” who were found guilty in 2022 of conspiracy to defraud the United States, tax evasion, and fraud, were granted pardons.
In an interview, Chrisleys’ lawyer Alex Little stated that he was unsure of Trump’s reasoning for pardoning his clients this week.
According to Little, he provided Trump’s “pardon czar,” Alice Johnson, with a binder containing court records and testimonies as part of his pitch.
“President Trump is very focused on the criminal justice issue because he has been the subject of investigations,” Little stated. And as a result, he has approached it differently. “.”.
Last year, a New York City jury found convicted felon Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal payments of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels. He received a penalty-free unconditional discharge as his punishment.
According to Little, one of the Chrisleys’ daughters, Savannah Chrisley, pushed for a pardon when she met with Trump family members prior to Trump’s inauguration, but the Chrisleys did not try to obtain one from President Joe Biden.
He claimed that the Chrisleys were “persecuted due to their celebrity status.”. “,”.
He claimed that “because of their status, they were treated more harshly.”. This isn’t how our criminal justice system is meant to operate. “.”.
Lindsie Chrisley, the daughter of the Chrisleys, is represented by Musa Ghanayem, who told NBC News that Trump made the right decision.
According to Ghanayem, “sometimes presidents get it right, sometimes they get it wrong when they make a pardon.”. “I believe he did it correctly this time. “”.
Known for their roles on the television program “Chrisley Knows Best,” the pardoning team seems to have included some prominent figures in Trump’s inner circle, such as former federal prosecutor Brett Tolman, who assisted in the pardoning of Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
In July, Savannah Chrisley mentioned Tolman in a speech at the Republican National Convention, calling him “a lawyer of mine” and asserting that her parents’ prosecution was “caused by our conservative views and public prominence.”. “.”.
According to Savannah Chrisley, one prosecutor called her family “the Trumps of the South.”. “”.
She remarked, “He meant it as an insult, but let me tell you, boy, do I wear that as a badge of honor.”.
Furthermore, in April 2024, Savannah Chrisley disclosed on her podcast that she had partnered with Tolman to potentially endeavor conservative criminal justice reform.
Tolman, a previous U. S. As the first Trump administration was coming to an end, a Utah lawyer began lobbying the White House for pardons on behalf of wealthy clients.
The Chrisleys are the most recent prominent individuals to receive pardons from Trump following their allegations of being abused by the Biden Justice Department.
Scott Jenkins, the former sheriff of Culpeper County, Virginia, was set to begin a 10-year federal prison sentence for bribery and corruption, but Trump pardoned him on Monday.
Trump also pardoned Paul Walczak, a convicted tax cheat whose mother gave him millions of dollars to run for president, on Tuesday.
White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields defended the pardon by stating that Paul Walczak is an entrepreneur who has been singled out by the Biden administration due to his family’s conservative political views.
Trump suggested on Wednesday that the men found guilty of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor could be pardoned. Gretchen Whitmer. .
The pardons for the Chrisleys were formally signed by Trump on Wednesday. He also approved the pardon of former Representative Larry Hoover and the commutation of former Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover. Michael R. N. Grimm. Yep. was found guilty last year of tax fraud and related offenses.
Additionally, Trump recently granted a pardon to James and Marlene Kernan, a couple from Oriskany, New York, who admitted in 2009 to deliberately hiring a felon with three prior convictions at their companies.
A support staff member U. A. A lawyer told NBC News that the well-publicized pardons were disheartening.
“Everything we do can be undone with a single stroke of a pen, so why are we working so hard to enforce the law?” the person asked. It is obvious that the White House is trying to sell influence and will forgive anyone who contributes or who fits the “weaponization” narrative. “,”.
When the Chrisleys were first charged in 2019, Trump was president and William Barr was the attorney general. They were found guilty of defrauding banks of over $36 million, along with their accountant.
The popular USA Network program, which aired for ten seasons beginning in 2014, featured the Chrisleys as diligent, devout real estate tycoons. Federal prosecutors, however, claimed that they were con artists who had started stealing from banks prior to becoming reality TV celebrities and that they had utilized the illicit profits to fund their opulent suburban Atlanta lifestyle.
Julie and Todd Chrisley received sentences of seven and twelve years, respectively, in prison.
Peter Tarantino, their accountant, was found guilty of tax offenses and sentenced to three years in prison. He got his freedom in January.
In February, after Trump returned to the White House, the Chrisleys formally asked for a pardon.
The Chrisleys’ lawyer, Jay Surgent, told NBC News at the time, “They think the president will carefully consider pardoning both Julie and Todd Chrisley because of the unfair treatment they received in the criminal justice system.”.
Trump broke the news to their kids over the phone Tuesday.
Trump stated during the call, “It’s a fantastic thing because your parents will be free and clean, but it’s a terrible thing.”. “We’ll attempt to finish it tomorrow, so please give them my best wishes and respects even though I don’t know them. I hope they lead happy lives. “”.
In response, their son Grayson Chrisley said, “Mr. I just wanted to thank you, President, for bringing my parents back. “,”.
Many thousands of people have received pardons and commutations from Trump since the beginning of his second term in office, including about 1,500 criminal defendants involved in the Jan. Assault on the U.S. A. capital.
According to their attorney Bruce Morris, who testified in the couple’s federal fraud trial, the Chrisleys were having financial difficulties when they were “out of the blue” given the chance to try out for a reality show that made them famous.
Little left open the possibility that the Chrisleys would make a comeback to reality television.
“They are currently concentrating on getting back together as a family and spending time together,” he stated. Both of them have always been well-known, and I wouldn’t be shocked if they would keep doing so. “.”.
