President Trump says he will fully pardon Todd and Julie Chrisley, reality TV personalities who have served more than two years in prison after being convicted of funding their lavish lifestyle through tax evasion and bank fraud.
The couple rose to fame starring in the USA Network show Chrisley Knows Best, which ran from 2014 to 2023.
Todd and Julie were sentenced to 12 and 7 years in federal prison, respectively, after a jury convicted them of bank and tax fraud offenses in 2022.
“President Trump recognized what we’ve argued from the beginning: Todd and Julie were targeted because of their conservative values and high profile.”
Chrisley Knows Best and a spinoff, Growing Up Chrisley, were both canceled in the wake of the couples’ convictions.
President Trump says he will completely pardon reality TV stars Julie and Todd Chrisley, who were found guilty of using bank fraud and tax evasion to finance their extravagant lifestyle and have been imprisoned for more than two years.
Starring in the 2014–2023 season of Chrisley Knows Best on the USA Network, the couple became well-known. It concentrated on the wealth and interpersonal relationships of their family of seven, who lived in Atlanta before moving to Nashville, Tennessee. areas.
Even though the Chrisleys presented themselves as self-made multimillionaires and prosperous real estate tycoons, they were ultimately charged with using unethical methods to finance their lavish lifestyle.
They planned to defraud Atlanta-area community banks to obtain over $36 million in personal loans, according to the prosecution. They used new fraudulent loans to repay previous ones and spent the money on travel, real estate, luxury cars, and designer clothing. They claimed that the Chrisleys did not file taxes for the tax years 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
After a jury found Todd and Julie guilty of bank and tax fraud in 2022, they were given sentences of 12 and 7 years in federal prison, respectively.
“The defendants defrauded banks out of tens of millions of dollars over a ten-year period while avoiding payment of their federal income taxes,” the then-U.S. A. Their “lengthy sentences reflect the magnitude of their criminal scheme,” attorney Ryan Buchanan added at the time. “.
The Chrisleys say they were unfairly singled out due to their conservative views and have refuted the charges. Since her parents’ imprisonment, Savannah, their eldest daughter, has emerged as a vocal opponent of the criminal justice system.
In her July speech at the Republican National Convention, she accused her parents of being persecuted for their political beliefs. She had lunch at the White House in February after Trump took office, and she told People that she was “going through the proper channels” to try to get them pardoned.
It appears that those efforts have been successful. White House special assistant Margo Martin shared a video of Trump calling Savannah from the Oval Office on Tuesday to let her know that her parents had been pardoned.
As his pardon czar, Alice Marie Johnson, watched, Trump said, “It’s a terrible thing, but it’s a great thing because your parents are going to be free and clean and I hope we can do it by tomorrow.”. “Even though I don’t know them, please accept my best wishes and have a happy life. “,”.
Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, told NPR via email on Wednesday that the Chrisleys’ sentences were “far too harsh.”. “,”.
“The President is always happy to give Americans a second chance, especially those who have been unfairly singled out and disproportionately prosecuted by an unjust legal system,” Fields continued.
In a statement, Litson PLLC, the legal firm that represents the Chrisleys, said that their prosecution was “tainted by multiple constitutional violations and political bias,” and it commended the couple for their “exemplary” behavior while incarcerated, pointing out that Todd pushed for improved prison conditions and Julie earned dozens of educational certificates.
Attorney Alex Little stated that the pardon “corrects a deep injustice and restores two devoted parents to their family and community.”. “We have been arguing since the beginning, and President Trump acknowledged that Todd and Julie were singled out due to their prominence and conservative beliefs. “.”.
In a series of videos posted on her social media accounts and during the call, Savannah, 27, expressed her gratitude to Trump and said her parents would be returning home soon.
She said, “I am eternally grateful,” in one. “I’m still perspiring, and I’m panicking. We are assembling their room upstairs and putting together some clothes for Mom and Dad, and I am at a loss for words. My parents are able to start over in life. “,”.
Since the Chrisleys were imprisoned, what has transpired?
In 2019, a federal grand jury charged Todd and Julie, who are currently 56 and 52, with 12 counts of conspiracy, tax evasion, and bank and wire fraud. Additionally, Peter Tarantino, their accountant, was convicted of willfully filing false tax returns and conspiring to defraud the United States.
The Chrisleys have been appealing their sentences since they started serving them in January 2023 in two different prisons in Florida. Later on, Julie was moved to a Kentucky prison. ).
In September 2023, their sentences were shortened for good behavior: Julie’s was shortened by 14 months and Todd’s by two years. In 2024, an appeals court maintained their convictions; however, due to a calculation error, Julie’s case was remanded to a lower court, which upheld her initial sentence.
Savannah, the host of the podcast “Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley,” has been vocal about the difficulties brought on by her parents’ incarceration, including the harsh conditions in prison and having to take on guardianship of her younger brother and niece.
She stated in 2024 that the Kentucky facility where Julie was residing had no air conditioning outside the visitation room and that the heat index was between 105 and 110 degrees. Mom claimed that the heat caused her to become physically ill. It’s incredibly cruel. “..”.
Following the couples’ convictions, Chrisley Knows Best and its spinoff, Growing Up Chrisley, were both canceled. Lifetime, however, revealed a few days prior to their pardon that it would re-air the well-known family later this year in a documentary series currently titled The Untitled Chrisleys Project. According to the network, the show will follow the family members as they deal with their parents’ incarceration.
In the press release, it states that “the Chrisleys don’t know best anymore, but they’re doing their best to be there for each other.”. “With only phone calls and infrequent visits with their incarcerated parents, the family must continue the Chrisley name and legacy on their own. “,”.
Trump keeps up his recent string of well-publicized pardons.
In the first few months of his second term, Trump has pardoned hundreds of Jan. Six rioters. .
He pardoned a disgraced former governor of Illinois in February. In 2011, Rod Blagojevich was found guilty of crimes involving corruption. Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence was commuted by Trump during his first term. Blagojevich supported Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention, calling him “the most demonized political figure in American history — and I know something about being demonized.”. “..”.
Trump pardoned the former state senator from Tennessee in March. Two weeks into his 21-month prison term, Brian Kelsey was convicted of running an illegal campaign finance scheme, to which he had entered a guilty plea in 2022 but had since made an unsuccessful attempt to withdraw.
Following the full pardon, Kelsey remarked, “May God bless America, despite the prosecutorial sins it committed against me, President Trump, and others the past four years.”.
Former Las Vegas city councilwoman and Republican state lawmaker Michele Fiore was awaiting sentencing on federal wire fraud charges when Trump pardoned her in April. As a devoted Trump supporter, Fiore was charged with using funds intended to commemorate a deceased police officer for her own expenses, such as cosmetic surgery, rent, and her daughter’s wedding.
