ATLANTA — Todd and Julie Chrisley were among the most popular reality TV stars while their hit series “Chrisley Knows Best” aired on the USA network.
But what was going on off camera landed the couple in prison, along with their accountant Peter Tarantino.
During their federal trial in 2022, prosecutors said the Chrisleys took out $30 million in fraudulent bank loans to fund their lavish lifestyle and extravagant spending even before they became reality television stars.
They used a film production company they controlled to hide income to keep the IRS from collecting unpaid taxes owed by Todd Chrisley, prosecutors said.
Todd and Julie were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax fraud.
Julie Chrisley was also charged with wire fraud and obstruction of justice.
The Chrisleys were initially indicted in August 2019. Prosecutors said the couple submitted fake documents to banks when applying for loans.
Julie Chrisley sent a fake credit report and bank statements showing far more money than they had in their accounts to a California property owner in July 2014 while trying to rent a home.
A few months after they began using the home, in October 2014, they refused to pay rent, causing the owner to have to threaten them with eviction.
The money the Chrisleys received from their television show went to a company they controlled called 7C’s Productions, but they didn’t declare it as income on federal tax returns, prosecutors said.
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The couple failed to file or pay their federal income taxes on time for multiple years.
The family had moved to Tennessee by the time the indictment was filed but the criminal charges stem from when they lived in Atlanta’s northern suburbs.
Their accountant, Tarantino, helped the Chrisleys hide income and lie about their tax returns, telling the IRS that Todd Chrisley didn’t have enough money to pay a tax debt from 2009 despite money coming into their production company that they spent on personal purchases.
He also filed false corporate tax returns for 7C’s Productions to make it look like the company wasn’t making money.
The trio were all found guilty of conspiring to defraud banks and the IRS out of millions of dollars.
Julie was sentenced to seven years in prison for her role in the scheme, but in June, a federal appeals court vacated her sentence and ordered the lower court to resentence her.
Last week, the government filed its sentencing recommendations for Chrisley and is still asking for her to serve the seven years she was originally sentenced to.
On Friday, Julie’s attorney filed their own recommendation, asking the judge in the case to give her no more than 60 months in prison.
Channel 2 Action News first started investigating the Chrisleys in 2017, when we learned that Todd Chrisley had likely evaded paying Georgia state income taxes for several years.
Court documents obtained by Channel 2 Action News showed that by 2018, the Chrisleys owed the state nearly $800,000 in liens.
The couple eventually went to trial and a federal jury found them guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion.
Chrisley’s resentencing hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at the federal courthouse in downtown Atlanta.
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