How did Julie and Todd Chrisley end up in prison? Here’s a timeline of the reality TV stars’ fraud case
Todd Julie and Todd Chrisleywere the beaming faces of Southern charm when they broke out in 2014 with USA Network’s hit show “Chrisley Knows Best.”
At the center of the series, self-made real estate tycoon Todd oversaw everything that unfolded in his family’s mansion north of Atlanta. In the Chrisley household, sass was genetic, luxury cars and clothes were a must and the stars’ personalities were larger than their perfectly coiffed hair.
The Chrisley’s seemingly picture-perfect Southern life appealed to reality TV audiences, who followed the family through major milestones — wedding anniversaries and graduations — for years. However, things took a turn in 2019 when a federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted Todd and Julie Chrisley on tax fraud, conspiracy, bank fraud and other charges linked to a scheme that endured for five years before their reality TV fame.
Since then, the reality stars traded in mansions and luxury brands for alleged “nightmare” conditions at separate federal prisons. Here’s what to know about the Chrisley family and their legal woes.
Who are Todd and Julie Chrisley?
Todd, born Michael Todd Chrisley, is a South Carolina-raised real estate mogul and businessman who had a humble upbringing. In a 2020 Instagram post, the TV star, 54, said his mother — Faye Chrisley — “worked 60 hours a week in a textile mill” to provide for her family.
Todd, 54, was previously married to high school sweetheart Teresa Terry — with whom he shares eldest daughter Lindsie and eldest son Kyle. Amid a messy divorce with Terry, Todd met South Carolina native Julie (née Hughes), who worked at a local bank.
“I thought she has got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. It’s the only woman that has ever literally touched my soul,” Todd recalled in a March 2022 episode of his and Julie’s “Chrisley Confessions” podcast.
Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of reality show “Chrisley Knows Best,” have been found guilty on federal charges including bank fraud and tax evasion.
Before Todd, Julie married construction worker Kenneth Wayne Childress in 1991. Childress died in 2012 at age 46. Todd and Julie tied the knot in 1996 and shortly welcomed their first child and eventual co-star, Chase, later that year.
The Chrisley family grows
The Chrisleys were a family of three for a little more than a year, until Julie gave birth to daughter Savannah Chrisley in August 1997. With two kids in tow, Todd and Julie built their business empire with the creation of real estate management company Chrisley Asset Management and moved to the wealthy Atlanta suburb Roswell.
Less than a decade later, Todd and Julie welcomed their second son, Grayson, in May 2006.
TV star Todd Chrisley, known for his blond highlights, has gone gray a month into his years-long prison sentence. ‘It’s really weird,’ says his daughter.
Todd’s children with Terry — Lindsie and Kyle — were featured in “Chrisley Knows Best” in varying capacities, but largely remained estranged. In 2016, Todd and Julie gained full custody of granddaughter Chloe, whose parents are Kyle and ex-wife Angela Johnson.
Lights, camera, Chrisley!
In 2013, USA Network ordered the first season of “Chrisley Knows Best” as part of its efforts to expand reality TV programming.
Former USA Network executive Heather Olander touted the series as “a broad family comedy that is a modern version of ‘Father Knows Best’ with the volume turned way up,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“The Chrisleys are a very close-knit family who are refreshingly honest and genuinely funny,” Olander added.
“Chrisley Knows Best” premieres in 2014 and the family’s 30,000-square-foot Roswell mansion serves as the stage for Todd’s controlling parenting style and Chrisley family conflict-turned-comedy. The series was a hit for USA Network and was swiftly renewed for a second season before its first even ended.
For years, “Chrisley Knows Best” documented the luxurious yet kooky ways of the Chrisley lifestyle. Todd once taught Chase a lesson about keeping secrets by hurling his laptop into the family pool. In another episode, Todd comes to terms with his mortality by holding a fake funeral — casket and all.
Off-screen, Todd allegedly flew from Atlanta to Los Angeles twice a month and stayed at the Beverly Hills hotel to maintain his bleach-tipped coif. The Chrisleys ran up a substantial bill to fund their extravagant lifestyle, and growing “Chrisley Knows Best” viewership kept them on air.
The network said in a May 2022 press release that “Chrisley Knows Best” was its “most-watched current original series,” averaging 1.8 million total viewers. Naturally, USA Network kept the Chrisley train going.
USA Network gives the Chrisleys more airtime
Just a year after the show’s 2014 debut, USA Network began its efforts to turn “Chrisley Knows Best” into a TV empire.
As a result, the network ordered the Todd-hosted late-night series, “According to Chrisley,” which premiered in 2017. Julie even hosted the cooking web series “What’s Cooking With Julie Chrisley” on the USA Network website.
Eventually, Chrisley love spread to other NBCUniversal platforms. In 2018, E! landed the spinoff “Growing Up Chrisley,” which followed Savannah and Chase on their cross-country trip from Nashville to Los Angeles. In May 2022, the channel announced that it has greenlighted the dating series “Love Limo,” hosted and executive produced by Todd.
For the Chrisley family, spinoffs and renewals kept coming — even as alleged fraud and tax evasion came to light.
Todd and Julie face tax evasion and fraud charges
In 2019, federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted the “Chrisley Knows Best” stars — who moved to Nashville in 2016 — on several charges including tax evasion, conspiracy and wire fraud.
The jury alleged that the stars tried to hide their TV income from the IRS. The criminal charges stemmed from their time in Atlanta.
Former U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak alleged that Chrisley directed “the falsifying or creation of false documents” and instructed a former employee to submit the forms to banks.
Todd Chrisley’s mother, Faye, says her family is ‘going to come out bigger and better’ as he carries out his 12-year prison sentence for tax evasion and fraud.
The scheme, which lasted from 2007 to 2012, involved submitting fake bank and financial statements to financial institutions to get loans worth millions, “much of which they used for their own personal benefit,” the Associated Press reported.
The couple also allegedly sent a fabricated credit report and bank statements showing far more money than was actually in their accounts to a California property owner in July 2014 when they were trying to rent a home. They submitted documents that had been “physically cut and then glued or taped together,” the indictment said.
The Chrisleys’ accountant, Peter Tarantino, was also sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of filing two false corporate tax returns on behalf of the Chrisleys’ company, according to Deadline.
Todd denied wrongdoing in a lengthy Instagram post, but said he was aware that he and Julie were going to be named in a federal indictment for tax evasion “and probably a bunch of other financial crimes as well.”
He pinned the charges on a dispute with an unidentified former employee.
Kyle Chrisley and Savannah Chrisley share Bible verses in defense of their parents. Todd Chrisley got 12 years Monday and Julie Chrisley got seven.
“I’m telling you all this now because we have nothing to hide and have done nothing to be ashamed of,” he wrote. “Not only do we know we’ve done nothing wrong, but we’ve got a ton of hard evidence and a bunch of corroborating witnesses that proves it.”
Amid the unfolding indictment, Todd engaged in a public feud with estranged daughter Lindsie over alleged extortion and claims of her “extramarital relationships.”
Months after a second indictment was filed in February 2022, Todd and Julie Chrisley were convicted for all charges in June 2022.
The TV stars get a combined 19 years in federal prison
In November 2022, Todd and Julie were handed their years-long prison sentences. The Chrisley patriarch was sentenced to 12 years and his wife received seven years. They also received 16 months probation each.
Amid news of the TV stars’ prison sentencing, “Chrisley Knows Best” and spinoff “Growing Up Chrisley” were canceled at USA Network, Deadline reported.
Months later, Todd and Julie began their sentences at different facilities. Todd reported to Florida’s Federal Prison Camp Pensacola, and Julie, who is a breast cancer survivor, to Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Ky.
Reality-TV stars Julie and Todd Chrisley of “Chrisley Knows Best” were sentenced to federal prison Monday.
With the core of the Chrisley family behind bars, Savannah became the legal guardian of teen brother Grayson and niece Chloe — and she said it hasn’t been easy. The “Unlocked” podcast host has been open about how she has been struggling with her parents’ absence.
“I’m helping to guide Chloe and Grayson through this process,” she said. “And I’m having to guide them through this process as I’m trying to guide myself through this process which is very, very difficult.”
Todd and Julie Chrisley are facing ‘inhumane conditions’ while carrying out their separate prison sentences, according to their children Savannah and Chase.
Savannah has also updated her listeners on her parents’ time in prison — from her dad going gray, to Julie struggling more with her sentence, to alleged “inhumane” conditions in her parents’ respective facilities.
“The truth is that they are in inhumane conditions, but ... they’re keeping their sanity and they’re putting one foot in front of the other,” Savannah said in a July episode. “So they’re not giving up. There is no admission of guilt.”
In July, a representative for the Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on any “anecdotal allegations” or specific inmates, but noted that its facilities follow Environmental Protection Agency and other official guidelines.
More than six months into Todd and Julie’s prison sentences, the Chrisley family continues its efforts to appeal their convictions. Attorney Jay Surgent told The Times in a phone conversation Tuesday, that the couple “have a continuing faith in goodness.
“They also have...a continuing faith in God, and thateverything’s going to workout okay in the end for them,” he said.
Times staff writer Jonah Valdez and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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