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Judge throws the book at reality TV stars for tax fraud despite ‘heartbreaking’ pleas for leniency

November 22, 2022 | | Print Article

Reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley have faced their sentencing after a trial found them guilty of $30 million in tax fraud and, despite concerns for their troubled children, their “greed and flamboyance” have earned them nearly 20 years combined in prison.

Known best for their NBC Universal programs “Chrisley Knows Best” and “Growing Up Chrisley,” the couple had sought leniency from U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross in Atlanta Monday. Not only did Todd plead for his wife to receive less punishment than he would, but she also begged the court to consider reports of suicidal leanings from their 10-year-old daughter Chloe, according to the Daily Mail.

“To hear your 10-year-old say she doesn’t want to live if their mom goes away,” Julie told the court, “no child should feel that way.”

In response to the pleas from the Chrisleys about Chloe, whom they adopted as their own after their son Kyle and the girl’s mother proved unsuitable as parents, along with the news from over the weekend that their 16-year-old son Grayson had been in a car accident in Tennessee, Ross acknowledged, “It is heartbreaking, but it has to be burdened by the defendants. I’ve never heard any acceptance of any crime. I’ve never really heard any admission to any wrongdoing or any remorse.”

“I have no reason to doubt that both Chrisleys have good hearts,” Ross continued. “But, I cannot ignore the greed and flamboyance in this case.”

Following their August 2019 indictment where they were charged with submitting fake documents to banks in an attempt to obtain over $30 million in loans, the testimony from Mark Braddock, an employee-turned-lover of Todd, sealed the fate of the couple.

Braddock revealed during testimony that he and Todd had been in an extramarital affair though both men were married and that he also had a role in the fraud. He also said that he had tipped off the FBI in 2012 to Chrisley’s criminal behavior after an argument with Todd ended with his getting thrown out of the office with the police called on him.

The testimony granted Braddock immunity and brought the jury to the unanimous verdict of which prosecutors described in sentencing documents, “Todd and Julie Chrisley are career swindlers who have made a living by jumping from one fraud scheme to another, lying to banks, stiffing vendors, and evading taxes at every corner.”

“The Chrisleys have built an empire based on the lie that their wealth came from dedication and hard work,” the prosecution added, and for that Todd was sentenced to 12 years in the Pensacola, Florida Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) with 16 months probation for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax evasion.

Julie faced the same three charges in addition to wire fraud and obstruction of justice earning her seven years with 16 months probation. Her incarceration will be served out at FCI Tallahassee, the same Florida facility where convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is serving her sentence.

The Chrisleys’ accountant Peter Tarantino was also sentenced to three years for conspiracy to defraud the IRS and filing false tax returns.

As to the couple’s reality programs, NBC Universal had not released a statement at the time of this posting, but Deadline reported that both shows had been canceled.

 

Kevin Haggerty
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