Over the years, I’ve watched a few minutes, here and there, of Chrisley Knows Best. It’s a reality series about Todd and Julie Chrisley and their blonde children. The family lives in a mansion in Atlanta and they get into all kinds of Southern shenanigans. Todd Chrisley is the catfaced patriarch who lectures his children and his wife constantly about what they’re doing wrong. It leans heavily into the “family values” demographic. The show is still on the air too – the second half of the current season is reportedly set to premiere in a few weeks, and the show was just renewed for a tenth season last month. Well, Todd and Julie Chrisley won’t be able to film next season, because they were just convicted of fraud, tax evasion and more.
Todd and Julie Chrisley, the stars of “Chrisley Knows Best,” a reality TV show in which the couple project themselves as real estate moguls who judge PG-rated family squabbles according to strict standards for comportment, were convicted on Tuesday of conspiring to defraud banks out of $30 million and avoiding years of tax bills, the Department of Justice said.
After a three-week trial in Federal District Court in Atlanta, a jury found the Chrisleys guilty on all counts — jointly, eight counts of financial fraud and two counts of tax evasion, with Ms. Chrisley also being convicted of additional counts of wire fraud and obstruction of justice. Their accountant, Peter Tarantino, was found guilty of filing false corporate tax returns for the Chrisleys’ company.
“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 the F.B.I. in Atlanta, said in a statement.
The Chrisleys could each be sentenced to as much as 30 years in prison. U.S. Judge Eleanor L. Ross of the Northern District of Georgia set sentencing for Oct. 6.
[From The NY Times]
The Times explained their fraud and I found their scam really odd? They were able to obtain bank loans by falsify bank statements claiming they had millions in another bank, and… like, no one double-checked? During the trial, there were descriptions for how Todd Chrisley “used glue and tape to falsify documents.” When they secured the loans, the Chrisleys then used the money to buy cars, clothes, real estate, etc. They also weren’t paying their taxes for years.
The Daily Mail was following the trial closely and one of the people who testified against Todd Chrisley was a former business partner named Mark Braddock. Braddock also told the court that he and Todd had an affair in the early 2000s. While the sexual part of their relationship ended years ago, they remained in business together until 2012, which is when Todd threw him out of their shared office? Mess.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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