Reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley Being pardoned President Trump Wednesday. The couple has been jailed since 2022 convicted of bank and tax fraud.
Todd Chrisley, 57, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for minimally safe men in Florida's FPC Pensacola federal prison, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Julie Chrisley, 52, was sentenced to seven years in prison with FMC Lexington Paind in Kentucky, and was released in January 2028, BOP said.
Todd and Julie Chrisley were both released from prison Wednesday, Federal Bureau of Prison spokesman Scott Taylor told CBS News in an email.
The married couple gained accents in 2014 on the reality show "Chrisley Swork Best" debuted on the cable channel US network.
The show was described by common sense media as a "humorous peep". The plan ends after 10 seasons in March 2023, with Chrisleys sentenced to tax and bank fraud.
Both are Prosecuted in 2019 The U.S. Northern District Attorney's Office said it included murdering more than $30 million in loans to deceive community banks, and a federal jury convicted them in June 2022. The couple also were convicted of conspiracy to deceive the IRS, as well as additional tax crimes in northern Georgia.
The jury believes the couple submitted fake bank statements and other financial records to obtain personal loans that they then used to buy luxury cars, designer clothes, real estate and travel.
"After spending all the money, Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy and stayed away from more than $20 million in fraudulent loans," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in 2022 after his conviction.
Meanwhile, the couple masked their income from their reality show from the IRS to avoid paying nearly $500,000 in back taxes. Chrisleys also failed to file a tax return and paid taxes from 2013 to 2016.
"These beliefs should send a clear message that everyone will be held responsible for paying fair taxes, regardless of your reputation or infamous," James E. Dorsey, special agent for the IRS-crime investigation, said in a statement on Chrisley's crime.
Trump said on a call with the couple's children on Tuesday that the couple "had received very severe treatment based on what I heard." He added that he personally did not know Chrisley.
According to a statement from Chrisley Law Firm, the pair sought presidential pardon earlier this year, alleging “great misconduct by the government, including illegal raids, reliance on tainted evidence and trials, characterized by false testimony from major government witnesses.”
Their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, was a spokesperson for the 2024 Republican National Convention, and the law firm noted that she "publicly thanked President Trump for his political prosecution and fighting for families like her."
Their attorney, Alex Little, said in a statement that Chrisleys were the target because of their political views.
"This pardon corrects serious injustice and restores two devout parents to their families and communities," Little said. "President Trump was aware from the very beginning what we were arguing: Todd and Julie's goal was due to their conservative values and high awareness. Their prosecutions were tainted by multiple constitutional violations and political biases."