Chrisley Knows Best stars Todd Chrisley and wife Julie Chrisley were convicted Tuesday on federal fraud and tax evasion charges after a three-week trial in Atlanta, Georgia.
“The jury found that Todd and Julie Chrisley committed multiple fraud schemes for several years and their accountant, Peter Tarantino, filed false corporate tax returns on their behalf,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a press release.
Buchanan alleged the Chrisleys conspired to defraud community banks in the Atlanta area to obtain more than $30 million in personal loans.
Prosecutors said the couple used the money to buy luxury cars, designer clothes, real estate, and travel, and also obtained a new loan to pay off their previous loans.
After spending all the funds, Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy and “walked away from more than $20 million of the fraudulently obtained loans,” prosecutors said.
The couple’s reality TV show debuted around the time Todd filed for bankruptcy, according to prosecutors. Despite earning millions of dollars from their TV deal, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation unit alleged the couple conspired to defraud the federal government.
The pair “failed to file tax returns or pay any taxes for the 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 tax years,” prosecutors said.
“As today’s outcome shows, when you lie, cheat and steal, justice is blind as to your fame, your fortune, and your position,” Keri Farley, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, said in statement.
Farley continued, “In the end, when driven by greed, the verdict of guilty on all counts for these three defendants proves once again that financial crimes do not pay.”
The couple’s lawyer Bruce Morris told People magazine they were “disappointed in the verdict” and plan to appeal.
The family rose to fame with their USA Network reality series. The show centers on real estate tycoon Todd, his lavish lifestyle and the couple’s children. The spinoff, Growing Up Chrisley, about offspring Chase and Savannah Chrisley, premiered in 2019.
Chrisley Knows Best was renewed for a tenth season in May, and is scheduled to return with new episodes on June 23. E! also recently announced Todd Chrisley had signed a deal to host and executive produce dating series Love Limo.
The Chrisleys were indicted in 2019 after a lengthy investigation.
The future of their shows remains uncertain, with the couple scheduled to be sentenced, along with Peter Tarantino, on Oct. 6, 2022. According to published reports the Chrisleys face up to 30 years in federal prison.
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