ATLANTA — Todd and Julie Chrisley learned their federal prison sentencing on Monday months after they were found guilty in a tax evasion case.
A federal judge sentenced Todd Chrisley to 12 years in prison plus 16 months probation. His wife, Julie, was sentenced to 7 years in prison, plus 16 months probation.
Channel 2 Action News has been reporting on the Chrisley’s legal troubles for years.
In June, federal jury found the couple, who starred in reality show “Chrisley Knows Best,” guilty on charges of criminal bank fraud and tax evasion. Prosecutors said the Chrisleys took out $30 million in fraudulent bank loans to fund their lavish lifestyle and extravagant spending even before they become reality television stars.
They used a film production company they controlled to hide income to keep the IRS from collecting unpaid taxes owed by Todd Chrisley, prosecutors said.
Both Chrisleys were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax fraud. Julie Chrisley was also charged with wire fraud and obstruction of justice.
The Chrisleys maintained they did nothing wrong and someone else had control of their finances.
Channel 2 Action News obtained a 71-page sentencing memorandum, which included a suggestion of how much time they should serve.
“The seriousness of the Chrisleys’ crimes cannot be understated. After they defrauded community banks out of tens of millions of dollars, they hid millions of dollars from the IRS, all while going on television to boast about how much they spend on designer clothes,” prosecutors wrote in the document. “And when they learned that they were under investigation for those crimes, they involved their own family members and friends to obstruct justice.”
According to the memo, Todd Chrisley could have faced between 17 and 22 years in prison while his wife Julie Chrisley could have faced 10 to 13 years.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/QOJG24FGUFF4DORHBSAB3LWC5M.jpg)
www.wsbtv.com
