Following tax fraud crime, Todd and Julie Chrisley were sentenced to prison, with Todd facing twelve years and Julie facing 7 years behind bars.
Last month was the couple’s first time spent in prison.
And the couples’ daughter, Savannah Chrisley, is keeping fans up to date with her parents well being whilst they’re serving time.
In the latest episode of her podcast, “Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley,” released on February 14, the 25-year-old criticized the conditions at Federal Medical Center Lexington in Lexington, Kentucky, where her mother Julie is currently being held.
And what she had to say has shocked listeners.
Keep scrolling to find out more…
Last year, on their podcast Chrisley Confessions the couple revealed how their life became a “whirlwind.”
In May, the Atlanta federal jury found them guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion.
This comes after the couple was accused of creating false documents to secure $30 million in bank loans and then filed for bankruptcy so that they didn’t have to pay back the $20 million they owed, as per People.
Todd, fifty-three, and Julie, forty-nine, have been the stars behind Chrisley Knows Best since March 2014. The reality television couple share 3 children, Chase, twenty-six, Savannah, twenty-four, and Grayson, sixteen. Todd also shares 2 children with his first wife Teresa Terry. His other 2 children are Lindsie, thirty-two, and Kyle, thirty.
The television show features Todd, Julie, and their children, who seem to live perfect southern lives as their parents make their money in real estate.
However, even though their lifestyle seems to be quite lavish, behind closed doors, there certainly are some cracks.
And the show wasn’t lying… Because it was announced that the couple faced thirty years in prison after the Jury found them guilty on all counts of bank and tax fraud.
Todd and Julie were found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, tax fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Julie was also convicted of wire fraud.
Their lawyer, Bill Morris, said at the time that an “appeal” was underway.
Their lawyer gave a statement to People: “Both Chrisleys are devastated and disappointed with the verdict and will be pursuing an appeal. Julie and Todd are so grateful for the love and support shown by their family, friends, and fans. They both remain strong in their faith and will continue the ‘fight’ until they are vindicated. They have their priorities in order and are currently concentrating on the welfare of their children and Todd’s mother, Elizabeth Faye Chrisley.”
The reality stars reportedly obtained their $30 million just 2 years before their show aired in 2014.
In 2019, the couple had been accused of state tax evasion but were cleared in a Georgia hearing. However, they were not cleared for federal tax evasion, and an investigation into the charges was still ongoing.
He got greedy.
In 2012, Todd filed for bankruptcy. However, documents obtained by PEOPLE showed he listed $4.2 million in assets while his debts totaled a staggering $49.4 million.
At the time, Todd’s attorney told the outlet: “He guaranteed a real estate development loan and it failed.
via Getty Images
“He was on the hook for $30 million. If he hadn’t had that happen, he would have been fine, financially.”
As well as business bills, he owed a $12 million mortgage, $600,000 to the IRS, and $4.4 million to his wife, which all piled up.
With so much debt, the couple sent false bank statements and personal financial statements to get their hands on the cash they needed.
Once they ended up getting the money…
They reportedly spent it on luxury cars, clothes and travel and even use fraudulent loans to pay back the old ones.
The pair are having to sell their mansions to pay for the $17.2 million fine ordered by Judge Ross.
“They’re going to have to give up a lot of things, including their homes, sadly,” a source told the New York Post.
“They won’t be able to afford it. But their main concern now is their children, especially their youngest boy.”
The Chrisleys own 2 homes, one they bought in Tennessee in 2016 for a whopping $1.6 million, which is now worth $2,877,300.
While the other they bought in 2019 in Brentwood for $3.37 million…
Which is now worth over $5 million.
But their attorney, Alex Little, shared that they were hopeful about the appeal.
According to Little, “faith gives them strength.”
“Yesterday was a difficult day for the Chrisley family,” Little said in a statement.
“But Todd and Julie are people of faith, and that faith gives them strength as they appeal their convictions.
“Their trial was marred by serious and repeated errors, including the government lying to jurors about what taxes the couple paid.
“Based on these issues, we are optimistic about the road ahead.”
It appears they are “optimistic” about their appeal.
But despite being hopeful, one lawyer has given his thoughts on why their sentences were so long.
Lawyer, Michael Zweiback told Nicki Swift “These are very stiff sentences, and I’m sure the Chrisleys were anticipating something much lower.
“They never took responsibility for the crimes that were alleged. They blamed them on other people.”
He added: “The judge has to consider whether this is someone who is going to do this again, and they’re more inclined to believe the person won’t do it again if they acknowledge their bad deeds.”
Zweiback also thinks the pair are “going to be broke” financially in the future. “I expect a huge restitutionary judgment,” the lawyer said.
He continued: “In tax cases, there are also tax penalties for fraud that are imposed as well…
“Because there is both a civil and criminal component so I expect the restitution and tax penalty is going to be extremely significant, and the banks are going to go after whatever assets remain.”
Since then, the birth mom of Chrisley’s adopted daughter, Chloe, has spoken out.
She reportedly wants custody of Chloe following Todd and Julie’s prison sentences.
Angela Johnson told TMZ she’s already in the process of regaining custody of the 10-year-old.
“I want her home. She deserves to be home. … I’m her biological mom. I didn’t walk away from her. I was pushed out of her life,” she said.
However, she has “not filed any legal papers … as of right now.”
And now, the Chrisley’s daughter, Lindsie has broken her silence.
“I wanted to take a minute and first of all, say thank you to all of our listeners that have reached out to me the past few weeks regarding my family,” Lindsie said to Hollywood Life.
“I wanted to take a step back and begin to process everything before speaking and making any statements.”
She went on to say that it has been an “extremely hard” few months…
Revealing that she’s “heartbroken over the updates in my parents’ case that occurred late last month.”
“I know some of the media has tried to twist my response to this and make it something it’s not, but at the end of the day, there is no tea here,” Lindsie said.
“I am heartbroken and navigating this process the best way I know how. At the end of the day, this is a real family, and these are real and raw emotions.”
“With that being said, thank you all for your love, support, and prayers. It really means the world to my family and me,” she concluded.
Details have now emerged about when the couple will start serving their time in prison…
And it’s not going to be a great start to the new year for them.
E! News has confirmed the couple will be starting their prison sentence on January 17, 2023, at 12 p.m. ET.
The Chrisleys did attempt to gain bail, but their request was denied.
And yesterday, finally, the pair surrendered themselves to federal prison in Florida.
And as per PEOPLE, Todd shared a now-deleted message of hope on Monday night.
It was a video of gospel artist Karen Peck singing “Four Days Late.”
“Lord, we don’t understand why You’ve waited so long, But His way is God’s way, not yours or mine, And isn’t it great, when He’s four days late, He’s still on time.”
Todd is in Federal Prison Camp Pensacola.
While Julie is in Federal Correctional Institution and Federal Prison Camp Marianna.
This is technically a medical center, rather than a prison.
And in a new episode of their podcast, “Chrisley Confessions,” recorded before the pair were incarcerated, Todd has opened up as to why …
“We’re not facing, to our knowledge, a death sentence,” he said. “Neither one of us is dying of cancer that we know of.”
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons told Insider, “While we do not share the reasons why a specific inmate was designated or transferred to a particular correctional institution, we can share general information about the [Bureau of Prison’s] designation process.”
Leading some to speculate that Julie’s medical center was chosen for security, rather than health, reasons.
Savannah Chrisley then opened up.
“Last week was an extremely difficult week for my family as a whole and for each of us individually,” she said on the latest episode of her podcast “Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley.”
“We kind of had to say goodbye to my parents (for the) foreseeable future and that was really, really, really tough.”
“The podcast that’s going to be airing today that you’re watching was filmed prior to my life falling apart. So it may seem happy-go-lucky and during that time I think it’s because there was a lot of hope that was had and I wasn’t faced with the reality of the situation,” she explained.
“Next week, I will have a very intense one-on-one podcast with myself, kind of giving an update on where my life’s at, where things stand,” she revealed.
Their first month in prison seemed to go very well, as explained by Savannah.
“My mom, she’s honestly doing really well, and I know it sounds crazy for me to say that like it’s crazy for me to say, ‘Alright they’re doing really well,’ but they are,” Savannah, 25, said on her “Unlocked” podcast.
“She’s going to church, she’s working, she’s playing some Spades — and when I tell you she’s playing, she’s running a dog on everyone,” Savannah laughed.
She also revealed what her dad Todd had been up to.
“He is working in the chapel, which is absolutely amazing, and I could never be more proud of my dad and the man that he is,” she revealed.
“I get to hear all these people’s stories and how he’s affecting their life and encouraging change.”
“That puts me at peace,” she concluded. “It lets me know that they are OK. This isn’t the ideal situation, but we find strength in knowing that this isn’t the end.”
However, her most recent episode of her podcast has revealed some grimmer realities of prison life.
And it’s all to do with Julie’s living conditions.
“My mom’s in a facility that has no air, but yet there are service dogs for the prison that are in a heated and cooled building because it’s inhumane for them not to have air,” Savannah said.
“I read an executive order that Biden signed that said all federal inmates must be housed in environmentally friendly facilities and I’m like, ‘OK, well, this is completely opposite of that.’”
Savannah then went on to say that people don’t know how “corrupt the system is” until they’ve been impacted by it.
You can listen to the podcast here.