Reality stars and former Georgia residents Todd and Julie Chrisley will be sentenced this week in their federal tax evasion case.
The “Chrisley Knows Best” couple was found guilty on all counts of bank fraud and tax evasion by a federal jury in June. The Chrisleys could face up to 30 years in prison.
The couple filed a joint motion for a new trial in August arguing prosecutors had knowingly used perjured testimony from an IRS revenue officer, failed to disclose materially exculpatory evidence and improperly denied their belated motion to suppress evidence as untimely.
On Oct. 3, prosecutors filed a motion asking the court to deny the Chrisleys’ motion for a new trial. Sentencing was originally set for that week on Oct. 6 in federal court but was rescheduled for Nov. 21.
According to a sentencing memorandum obtained last week by Channel 2 Action News, Todd Chrisley could face between 17 and 22 years in prison, and Julie Chrisley could face 10 to 13 years. The court will consider prosecutors’ suggestions in the document but will make the final decision on the sentences for the pair. The document also asks for more than $17 million to be paid in restitution. Defense lawyers have asked for a reduced sentence, Channel 2 reported.
“As today’s outcome shows, when you lie, cheat and steal, justice is blind as to your fame, your fortune, and your position,” said Keri Farley, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, in a statement released from the U.S. Attorney’s office following the guilty verdict. “In the end, when driven by greed, the verdict of guilty on all counts for these three defendants proves once again that financial crimes do not pay.”
U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross will issue the sentence against the couple in a hearing that started Monday and is expected to extend into Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
The couple’s accountant, Peter Tarantino, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and will surrender to custody on May 1 after hip surgery, Insider reported
Through their attorneys, the couple released a statement following the verdict expressing disappointment and that an appeal was planned.
Prosecutors argued the Chrisleys deliberately “swindled” at least $30 million from community banks from 2007 to 2012 by inflating their net worth to get loans, purposely targeting smaller banks that did less due diligence than larger ones, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. Todd Chrisley would later file for bankruptcy in 2012, erasing $20 million in loan debt.
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Prosecutors also alleged the couple actively hid millions they made from the reality show “Chrisley Knows Best,” which began in 2014, as well as $500,000 in taxes Todd Chrisley owed in 2009. The couple is alleged to have actively evaded taxes going back to 2009, the AJC reported.
At the time of most of the alleged illegal activity, the Chrisleys were living in metro Atlanta before moving to Nashville in 2016.
An attorney representing Todd Chrisley argued in his opening statement that the couple were actually victims of Mark Braddock, who oversaw Chrisley Asset Management, and did all the defrauding without the couple’s knowledge until he was fired in 2012. Braddock received federal immunity from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in exchange for evidence against the Chrisleys, the attorney said.
The Chrisleys were free on bond but were placed on location monitoring and home detention while they awaited sentencing.
The reality show, which aired on USA Network, is a comedic look at the lives of the Chrisley family. It was recently renewed for a 10th season. According to “Entertainment Tonight,” E! had already finished season 9 of “Chrisley Knows Best” and did not film during the trial.
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