President Trump will fully pardon the reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted three years ago of evading taxes and defrauding banks of more than $30 million to support their luxurious lifestyle.
The pardon, announced Tuesday by the White House, is the latest instance of Mr. Trump using his clemency power to settle grievances over what he calls the political weaponization of the justice system. Mr. Trump, in notifying the Chrisleys’ daughter, Savannah, called their treatment “pretty harsh,” as shown in a video clip of their call posted to social media by a special assistant, Margo Martin.
“Your parents are going to be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow,” Mr. Trump tells Savannah Chrisley, adding, “I don’t know them, but give them my regards and wish them a good life.”
Savannah Chrisley can be heard saying, “Thank you so much, Mr. President.”
The Chrisleys soared to fame about a decade ago in the USA Network hit “Chrisley Knows Best” as self-made, God-fearing real estate moguls who lived in a 30,000-square-foot mansion outside Atlanta. But according to prosecutors, their empire was “based on the lie that their wealth came from dedication and hard work” and they were “career swindlers who have made a living by jumping from one fraud scheme to another, lying to banks, stiffing vendors and evading taxes at every corner.”
A jury in 2022 found the couple guilty of eight counts of financial fraud and two counts of tax evasion, while Ms. Chrisley was convicted of additional counts of wire fraud and obstruction of justice. Mr. Chrisley received a 12-year prison sentence, and Ms. Chrisley was sentenced to seven years.
According to the Justice Department, the Chrisleys conspired with a former business partner to defraud banks around Atlanta into giving them more than $36 million in personal loans. They submitted false bank statements, audit reports and personal financial statements to obtain the loans, the Justice Department said, and spent the money on luxury cars, real estate and clothing, while also using new fraudulent loans to repay older ones. After spending all the money, the Justice Department said, Mr. Chrisley filed for bankruptcy.
Then, after earning millions of dollars from their show, the Chrisleys, along with their accountant, Peter Tarantino, defrauded the I.R.S., prosecutors said. To avoid paying about $500,000 in back taxes that Mr. Chrisley owed, the couple opened corporate bank accounts in Ms. Chrisley’s name, then transferred ownership of an account to a family member to hide their income from the I.R.S., prosecutors said.
Last year, an appeals court upheld the convictions of Mr. Chrisley and Mr. Tarantino but vacated the sentence of Ms. Chrisley, finding that the sentencing judge held her accountable for the entirety of the bank-fraud plot without specific evidence showing that she was involved in the first year of the scheme, 2006.
In pursuing clemency, the Chrisleys’ lawyer Alex Little prepared binders with court documents and testimonials to present to White House and Justice Department officials.
Mr. Little wrote that their conviction “exemplifies the weaponization of justice against conservatives and public figures, eroding basic constitutional protections.” His summary connected the prosecutors in the Chrisleys’ case to Fani T. Willis, the Georgia state prosecutor who brought an election interference case against Mr. Trump in 2023.
Savannah Chrisley, a supporter of Mr. Trump, said in a speech at the Republican National Convention last July that her parents were “persecuted by rogue prosecutors” because of their public profile and conservative beliefs.
Kenneth P. Vogel contributed reporting.
Ben Shpigel is a senior editor on The Times’s Live team, coordinating with desks across the newsroom to provide editing and reporting support on fast-paced breaking news in real time.
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