WASHINGTON (AP) — Reality TV stars Julie and Todd Chrisley, who were in prison after being convicted on federal charges of bank fraud and tax evasion, were pardoned by President Donald Trump and walked free Wednesday.
The couple is best known for the long-running TV series “Chrisley Knows Best,” which followed their family and luxurious lifestyle — which prosecutors said was boosted by bank fraud and hiding earnings from tax authorities.
The Chrisleys were convicted in 2022 of conspiring to defraud banks in the Atlanta area out of more than $30 million in loans by submitting false documents.
The pardons signed Wednesday are the latest example of Trump, himself a former reality TV star, pardoning high-profile friends, supporters, donors and former staffers.
Here are some things to know about the Chrisleys:
How they rose to fame
“Chrisley Knows Best,” which ran from 2014 to 2023, chronicled the extravagant exploits of the boisterous, tightly knit family of the couple and their five children, from high-end cars to luxury vacations to stunning mansions. It was recorded in the Atlanta area at first and then in Nashville.
In 2019 the show spawned the spinoff “Growing Up Chrisley,” which featured the couple’s children Chase and Savannah living in Los Angeles.
The couple’s 2022 trial started just after E! announced that it was moving forward with a new dating series, “Love Limo,” hosted by Todd Chrisley. It also came soon after USA announced the renwal of “Chrisley Knows Best” for a 10th season, while its spinoff was renewed by E! for a fourth season.
Why they were imprisoned
The Chrisleys were found guilty in 2022 in Atlanta on the fraud and tax charges. Until this Wednesday they still had years left on their sentences: Julie Chrisley was expected to be released in 2028, and Todd Chrisley in 2032.
At trial prosecutors detailed a laundry list of offenses that started before they became famous.
The Chrisleys and a former business partner submitted false documents to banks to obtain fraudulent loans and then used new loans to pay off the old ones, prosecutors said. The couple was accused of spending lavishly on cars, designer clothes, real estate and travel.
Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy, walking away from more than $20 million in unpaid loans, according to prosecutors. Meanwhile Julie Chrisley created false financial documents to rent a home in Los Angeles, they said, but then the couple did not pay rent on it.
Once they were starring in the reality show, they operated a company that collected their income from the series and other ventures and kept the corporate bank accounts in Julie Chrisley’s name to avoid collection of half a million dollars in back taxes that Todd Chrisley owed, prosecutors said.
When the IRS asked for information on the accounts, they transferred ownership to Todd Chrisley’s mother to try to hide his income further, according to authorities.
Prosecutors also accused the couple of not filing or paying taxes for several years
The Chrisleys’ lawyers argued that an IRS officer gave false testimony at trial and that prosecutors lacked evidence to support convictions.
A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld their convictions last year.
Their daughter’s work to free them
Savannah Chrisley has been a staunch Trump supporter and endorsed his candidacy while also speaking about her parents in a speech at the Republican National Convention last summer.
“My family was persecuted by rogue prosecutors and Fulton County due to our public profile … and conservative beliefs,” she said at the time.
She has called the case against her parents politically motivated, though they were indicted in 2019 under a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney, Byung J. “BJay” Pak.
In a social media post Wednesday, she praised U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin, the Justice Department lawyer assigned to advise Trump on pardons and commutations.
“Your leadership is already changing countless lives — including mine,” she said on the social platform X. “Thank you for standing boldly for truth, for justice, and for reuniting families like mine.”
What happens next?
Todd Chrisley was released from a minimum security prison camp in Pensacola, Florida, in the evening, according to Shannen Sharpe, a spokesperson for his attorney, and Julie Chrisley left a facility in Lexington, Kentucky, Sharpe said.
As Savannah Chrisley waited to meet her father at his prison, she said the family was planning to do a lot of catching up.
“We’re going to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, Christmases, all the things,” she said, “because we’re going to make up for the lost time.”
Trump said the celebrity couple had been “given a pretty harsh treatment based on what I’m hearing.”
The Constitution grants broad pardon powers to presidents, and their clemency actions cannot be undone by courts or other officials.
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