Todd Chrisley Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison, Julie Gets 7, For Bank Fraud Case

The ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ stars will face 19 combined years in prison for their multiple guilty charges of tax fraud, after being found guilty in June.

Todd and Julie Chrisley were both sentenced to multiple years in prison for their tax fraud charges in court on Monday, November 21. Todd, 53, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie, 49, was given 7 years, per TMZ. They also both received 16 months of probation each. The ruling came about 5 months after the Chrisley Knows Best stars were found guilty on all charges in June.

Furthermore, the couple’s accountant, Peter Tarantino, received 36 months in prison after being found guilty of tax fraud, per Insider. HollywoodLife has reached out to reps for both Todd and Julie. They have not publicly reacted to their sentencing as of this writing.

“Over the course of a decade, the defendants defrauded banks out of tens of millions of dollars while evading payment of their federal income taxes,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia on Nov. 22. “Their lengthy sentences reflect the magnitude of their criminal scheme and should serve as a warning to others tempted to exploit our nation’s community banking system for unlawful personal gain.”

The fraud came to light when the couple’s former business partner, Mark Braddock, who was also participating in the scheme, informed tax officers and later prosecutors about the years of crime. The pair defrauded community banks in the Atlanta area to gain more than $36 million in personal loans, which they used to fund an extravagant life. When they filed for bankruptcy after blowing through the money, they were able to get $20 million of loans taken off their plate.

Back in June, Todd was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, bank fraud, and tax fraud. Julie was found guilty of tax fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. The pair faced up to 30 years in prison for their charges. Before their sentencing, prosecutors had recommended up to 22 years for Todd and about 12 and a half years for Julie, per ABC News. The couple’s lawyers had requested that Todd be sentenced to 9 years or less and Julie be given probation.

Before the sentencing, a family member told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that the pair were “extremely emotional and nervous,” especially ahead of Thanksgiving. “This could either be a wonderful holiday season like [they] always have, or it could be one of the most difficult holidays that they’ve ever had,” the insider said. “This whole experience has united them, and they have all been leaning on each other for emotional support.”

Julie and Todd were also nervous about how the outcome would affect their children. The pair have three kids: Savannah, 26, Chase, 26, and Grayson, 16, who was involved in a car accident over the weekend. Todd also has a daughter Lindsie, 33, and son Kyle, 31, from a previous marriage. Julie and Todd are also the legal guardians of Kyle’s daughter Chloe,10.

When the verdict first came in, a source close to the family revealed to HollywoodLife exclusively that they were “in shock,” and were planning to appeal. “Todd and Julie are just devastated by the verdict, as are their children Savannah, Chase, Grayson, Lindsie, and Kyle. They are all leaning on each other for support during this difficult time,” they said. “Although they are grateful for being allowed to be on house arrest while they await sentencing, staying at home all the time will not be easy for them because they are such busy people.”

After the verdict came in, Todd spoke briefly about the conviction in an episode of his Chrisley Confessions podcast, where he thanked fans for their support. “We wanted to let everyone know that it’s a very sad, heartbreaking time for our family right now. But we still hold steadfast in our faith and we trust that God will do what he does because God’s a miracle worker — and that’s what we’re holding out for,” he said.