Todd and Julie Chrisley, the reality television couple from “Chrisley Knows Best,” were convicted in June 2022 of defrauding community banks out of more than $30 million and evading federal income taxes for four straight years. So what did the Chrisleys do, in plain terms? They faked bank statements to borrow money they could not have borrowed honestly, then routed Todd’s television income through a company to hide it from the IRS. A federal jury in Atlanta found them guilty on every count. Todd was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison and Julie to seven. In May 2025, after serving roughly two and a half years, both were released when President Donald Trump granted them full, unconditional pardons.
The Bank Loan Fraud
The core of the case was a scheme to obtain personal loans the Chrisleys could not have qualified for on their real finances. Prosecutors showed the couple submitted falsified bank statements, fabricated audit reports, and doctored personal financial statements to community banks in the Atlanta area. They used photo-editing software to inflate account balances so it looked like they had far more money than they did. Loan officers relied on those numbers when approving millions in credit.
Once funds came in from one bank, the Chrisleys often used the money to pay off loans at another, keeping the cycle going through fresh deception. The proceeds also paid for the lifestyle viewers saw on television. Because the falsified records were transmitted electronically to multiple banks across state lines, the conduct drew federal wire fraud charges alongside bank fraud counts.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 1344 – Bank Fraud2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 1343 – Fraud by Wire, Radio, or Television
Hiding Income From the IRS
While the loan fraud generated cash on one end, the Chrisleys were hiding income on the other. They controlled a company called 7C’s Productions and arranged for the production company that employed Todd to send his earnings there rather than pay him directly. The money that ran through 7C’s paid for clothing, luxury vehicles, and real estate, but the couple treated it as corporate revenue instead of personal income.3United States Department of Justice. Television Personalities Sentenced to Years in Federal Prison for Fraud and Tax Evasion
They filed no personal federal income tax returns for 2013, 2014, 2015, or 2016. During those years, roughly $655,000 flowed through 7C’s in 2013 and about $1 million in each of the three years that followed. Todd owed about half a million dollars in delinquent taxes. To keep the IRS from collecting, the couple kept the corporate bank accounts solely in Julie’s name so nothing could be traced back to him. A separate conspiracy charge covered the coordinated effort to obstruct the IRS from identifying and collecting what they owed.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 7201 – Attempt to Evade or Defeat Tax5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 371 – Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States
Julie’s Obstruction Charge
Julie Chrisley faced one charge Todd did not: obstruction of justice. During the grand jury investigation, she submitted a falsified credit report and fabricated bank statements designed to make it appear the family had access to funds that did not exist. Prosecutors treated the false documents as a deliberate attempt to derail the investigation by feeding the grand jury a fictional version of the family’s finances.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1519 – Destruction, Alteration, or Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations and Bankruptcy
Conviction and Prison Sentences
After nearly three weeks of trial and three days of jury deliberation, both Chrisleys were found guilty on every count on June 7, 2022. The convictions covered conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit tax evasion. Julie was also convicted on the obstruction count.3United States Department of Justice. Television Personalities Sentenced to Years in Federal Prison for Fraud and Tax Evasion
Todd received 12 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Julie received seven years followed by the same three-year supervised release term. Both reported to prison in January 2023. Todd went to the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola, Florida, a minimum-security facility with dormitory housing and little to no perimeter fencing.7Federal Bureau of Prisons. About Our Facilities Julie was sent to the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, an administrative facility for inmates with serious or chronic medical conditions.
The court ordered the couple to pay $17,270,741.57 in restitution, split among eight community banks that had been victimized by the fraud. Additional assets acquired through the proceeds of their crimes were subject to forfeiture.
What the Appeal Changed
Both Chrisleys appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In June 2024, the appellate court upheld all of the fraud and tax evasion convictions. It vacated Julie’s sentence, however, finding that insufficient evidence tied her to financial losses that occurred before 2007, and sent the case back for a narrower resentencing that more precisely accounted for her individual involvement.8Justia Law. USA v Peter Tarantino, et al, No 22-14074 (11th Cir 2024) The resentencing never happened.
The Presidential Pardon and Release
On May 27, 2025, President Trump signed full, unconditional pardons for both Todd and Julie Chrisley. Their daughter Savannah, who had taken custody of her younger brother Grayson and her niece Chloe while both parents were incarcerated, received a phone call from the president informing her of the decision. Todd and Julie walked out of federal custody the next day, May 28, 2025, after serving roughly two and a half years.
A full pardon is the most complete form of executive clemency; unlike a commutation, which only shortens a sentence, a pardon formally forgives the offense. The Chrisleys’ attorney framed the decision as a judgment about the fairness of the process rather than a declaration of innocence, saying the White House had been convinced the case did not work the way it should have. Todd and Julie maintained their innocence throughout the trial and appeal.