Todd and Julie Chrisley have been convicted on all counts of bank and tax fraud after a three-week trial. The Chrisley Knows Best stars could get up to 30 years behind bars, People reports.
According to the report, a federal jury found Todd and Julie Chrisley, guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax fraud, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Julie was also convicted of wire fraud. Jurors began deliberations on Friday and announced their verdict on Tuesday. (A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.)
People also reported that a rep for the Chrisleys did not immediately respond to request for comment, while the Chrisleys’ lawyer Bruce Morris revealed that the Todd and Julie Chrisley are “disappointed in the verdict” and added, “An appeal is planned.”
According to Insider, the pair’s former lawyer Peter Tarantino was also found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States and willfully filing false tax returns.
The reality stars were accused of creating false documents to secure $30 million in bank loans in order to foot the bill for their expensive lifestyles. They then filed for bankruptcy to avoid paying the more than $20 million they owed, Atlanta’s WSB-TV reported.
According to the AJC, prosecutors said Todd and Julie Chrisley intentionally “swindled” smaller banks to rack up the $30 million bill between 2007 and 2012, two years before their reality show debuted on USA in 2014.
The AJC also reports that, prosecutors sought to prove that the couple lied about the millions they brought in from Chrisley Knows Best, along with $500,000 in back taxes that Todd owed for 2009. They were accused of launching a shell company, 7C’s Productions, to put in Julie’s name to prevent the IRS from seizing the half-million owed from 2009.
The federal trial against Todd and Julie Chrisley began on May 16 in Atlanta, where the couple lived for several years before moving to Nashville.
The proceedings come after the Chrisleys were indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2019 for 12 counts of bank and wire fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy, all of which they denied.
The couple was cleared of their state tax evasion charge in Georgia in October 2019, but continued to face federal charges for allegedly evading federal taxes.
The ninth season of USA’s Chrisley Knows Best is scheduled to return June 23 after going on hiatus in December. The show has been renewed for a 10th season. In addition, Todd hosts and executive produces a speed-dating match-making series titled Love Limo.