Savannah Chrisley revealed that her parents, who are both behind bars for tax fraud, are teaching classes to get out of prison early. The 26-year-old said on the October 3 episode of her podcast, Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley, that her dad, Todd Chrisley, 54, and her mom, Julie Chrisley, 50, got credits from taking courses in their respective facilities, and now they’re teaching classes to get their prison sentences reduced through the First Step Act. Savannah explained that’s how her parents recently got their prison release dates moved up.
“Dad’s definitely taught some classes too,” Savannah said on the podcast about her father, who is serving time at Florida’s Federal Prison Camp Pensacola. “Trauma is one of them,” she explained about the classes he’s teaching. “I think another one was a financial class, which how ironic?”
As for Julie, who is imprisoned at Kentucky’s FMC Lexington, Savannah said that her mom “definitely taught classes, like she taught a real estate class, she’s got all these certificates from teaching and completing classes and all these things. Overachiever Julie is… always been.”
Todd and Julie went to prison in January 2023 to serve a combined 19 years for tax fraud. Todd’s schedule release date was in 2035 while Julie’s was in 2030. Last month, the reality stars were able to get more than a year knocked off their initial respective sentences. Todd is now getting out on prison on January 22, 2033, while Julie will get released on October 19, 2028.
The Chrisley parents, who share three children together, have both denied any guilt in the tax fraud case and are still trying to appeal their case. “There’s hope,” Todd and Julie’s lawyer, Jay Surgent, told People about the possibility for appeal for the couple. “There’s always hope, but I feel as though they have a strong appeal,” he added.
Before Todd and Julie entered prison, a Chrisley family insider revealed to HollywoodLife that the couple had an “emotional” goodbye with their loved ones. “There were lots of tears and no one knew what to say because there was nothing that they could say which would change anything,” the source said. “Todd and Julie knew that they had run out of options, and this was it.”