Reality TV Superstars Face Up To 30 Years In Prison
Stars of a very popular reality show have been convicted on a number of accounts of fraud and now face significant time in prison
This article is more than 2 years old
A pair of now-former reality television stars have been found guilty on various tax evasion counts among other aspects of fraud and will now await sentencing to see if and how long they need to spend in prison for their crimes. Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of Chrisley Knows Best, were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud community banks according to a filing by the United States Department of Justice (via CNN). A jury handed down the convictions on Wednesday. It appears to be a crazy story of greed and lying that could land the couple in prison for many years.
The Chrisleys were on trial related to a number of different crimes that had them accused of scamming banks out of more than $30 million dollars over the years. Apparently, much of this seemed to happen before the two became reality television stars, but the fraud continued into those years as they attempted to evade paying taxes for the money earned. Essentially, according to the Department of Justice, the pair submitted false bank statements and financial reports to inflate earnings and were able to obtain loans totaling millions from smaller banks in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
After the initial ruling was handed down against the stars of Chrisley Knows Best, their legal team was quick to say that they planned to file an appeal and were “disappointed” in the judgment. For their crimes, the couple could face upwards of 30 years in prison. Again, the sentencing (slated for October 6th) hasn’t been handed down yet and an appeal is almost definitely on the way. So there’s a chance we won’t know for quite some time what the ultimate ruling is against the couple. What happens with the show is anyone’s guess and there’s a pretty massive network of Chrisleys who’ve made their name off this series. So we could see things continue in some form, though the patriarch and matriarch of the family could be going away for a long time.
Chrisley Knows Best is a reality series airing on the USA Network and is currently in its ninth season. The show follows the lives of the titular family, specifically Todd who has been touted as a wealthy real estate tycoon in the Atlanta area. It’s been a popular offering on the network, starting all the way back in 2014. Chrisley Knows Best even spawned several spin-offs like According to Chrisley, What’s Cooking With Julie Chrisley, Growing Up Chrisley, Love Limo, and Chrisley Confessions. There had been a 10th season of Chrisley Knows Best in the works with plans to start sometime this month, though it’s hard to imagine that still happening based on this latest news.
With this news for the Chrisley Knows Best couple, we should likely hear some word from USA in short order about their plans for the future of the show and the other offerings in the Chrisley universe. With dollar amounts this large, and the DOJ involved, it’s hard to imagine the verdict changes all that much.
