Reality stars found guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion expected to walk free
President Donald Trump has announced plans to pardon Todd and Julie Chrisley, the reality TV personalities convicted of defrauding banks of over $30 million and committing tax evasion.
The Chrisleys, stars of Chrisley Knows Best, were sentenced in 2022 after prosecutors proved they had submitted falsified documents to secure massive bank loans in the Atlanta area. They used the funds to sustain a lavish lifestyle, then defaulted when Todd Chrisley declared bankruptcy, leaving over $20 million in unpaid debts.
Todd was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie received seven years. The couple was also ordered to repay $17.8 million.
“Your parents are going to be free and clean and I hope that we can do it by tomorrow,” Trump said in a phone call with their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, a clip of which was posted online by a White House aide. The aide added, “Trump Knows Best!”
“They’ve been given a pretty harsh treatment based on what I’m hearing,” the former president added.
A White House official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the pardons are expected shortly.
The move fits a broader trend of Trump granting clemency to political allies and public figures convicted of financial crimes. This week alone, he pardoned Scott Jenkins, a former Virginia sheriff convicted of fraud and bribery, and Paul Walczak, a Florida executive with ties to the leak of Ashley Biden’s diary. Earlier, he pardoned Nevada Republican Michele Fiore, convicted of misusing charitable funds.
The Chrisleys' attorney, Alex Little, welcomed the pardon as “correct[ing] a deep injustice.” He claimed the couple was targeted “because of their conservative values and high profile,” calling the prosecution “tainted by multiple constitutional violations and political bias.”
“Thanks to President Trump, the Chrisley family can now begin healing and rebuilding their lives,” Little added.
During the Chrisleys’ trial, prosecutors argued they operated a Ponzi-style scheme, taking out fraudulent loans to pay off previous debts. A three-judge panel from the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld their convictions but found a sentencing error in Julie Chrisley's case, which is now pending resentencing.
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Savannah Chrisley spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention, describing her parents as victims of politically motivated prosecution and likening their ordeal to Trump’s own legal battles.
“I’ll never forget what the prosecutors said in the most heavily Democratic county in the state, before an Obama-appointed judge. He called us the ‘Trumps of the South.’ He meant it as an insult but, let me tell you, boy, do I wear it as a badge of honor,” Savannah Chrisley said.
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