This week has been rough for the reality stars of Chrisley Knows Best as the heads of the family, Todd and Julie Chrisley both were indicted on 12 counts from a grand jury. The charges ranged from fraud, to conspiracy, to tax evasion – and carry a penalty of up to 30 years in prison.
Yesterday, Wednesday, August 15th, 2019 – The Chrisley’s surrendered to the FBI in Northern Georgia and were taken into custody to be arraigned by a judge and answer to the charges.
Trying to get ahead of the impending bad news, Todd Chrisley posted a lengthy explanation about the circumstances involving their indictment – essentially saying they were being framed and the indictment was a misunderstanding of the evidence presented.
“It all started back in 2012, when we discovered that a trusted employee of ours had been stealing from us big time,” he wrote, asserting that said employee created “phony documents,” forged their signatures and threatened “other employees with violence” if they spoke out.
This alleged employee then took his fake documents to the U.S. Attorney’s office and that is what has resulted in the new indictment against the Chrisleys.
“I’m telling you all this now because we have nothing to hide and have done nothing to be ashamed of. Not only do we know we’ve done nothing wrong, but we’ve got a ton of hard evidence and a bunch of corroborating witnesses that proves it,” Chrisley went on. “Anyway, when all is said and done we trust in God…”
Todd and Julie Chrisley are best-known for their starring roles in their reality show Chrisley Knows Best – where they show the inner workings of their busy Southern lives. Todd made a fortune in the real estate industry and now his family benefits from all the hard work he put in and they’re able to live a life most can only dream of.
The show has often shown off their opulent homes and vast wealth in many different ways – but, it appears that the U.S. Attorney’s office believes much of this continued wealth was generated illegally.
In an announcement on Tuesday, August 13th, 2019 – the U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of Georgia revealed the indictment against the Chrisley pair.
“Todd and Julie Chrisley are charged not only with defrauding a number of banks by fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in loans, but also with allegedly cheating taxpayers by actively evading paying federal taxes on the money they earned,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak. “Celebrities face the same justice that everyone does. These are serious federal charges and they will have their day in court.”
The same day that the Chrisley’s turned themselves into the FBI, they were also arraigned and bond conditions were set – as reported by WSB-TV’s Nicole Carr.
According to Carr, the Chrisley’s both entered pleas of “not guilty” to the court and were given very-specific bond conditions that included each posting $100,000 bond, and restricted travel until the trial.
The Chrisley’s are required to remain in Middle Tennessee – where they live, can travel to Northern Georgia, and can travel to California for taping their reality show. All travel docs and itinerary must be provided to probation officers beforehand.
In a statement after court – Todd Chrisley explained their outlook on the situation to WSB-TV.
“We stand in our faith, and we stand in what we know is right. We are fortunate to have the counsel that we have, and our family will stick together, and we’ll walk this road because we know that the good Lord will hold our hand and take us through.”
Check out the full video below of Todd and Julie Chrisley along with their attorneys just moments after making their plea with the federal judge.