Todd Chrisley

Todd Chrisley
Born:	April 6, 1969 Westminster, South Carolina
Charges:	Conspiracy to commit bank fraud, Bank fraud, Wire fraud, Conspiracy to defraud the United States, Tax evasion
Sentence:	12 years in federal prison, 3 years supervised release; $17.8 million restitution (joint with Julie Chrisley)
Facility:	Federal Prison Camp Pensacola
Status:	Released (presidential pardon, May 28, 2025)

Michael Todd Chrisley (born April 6, 1969) is an American real estate businessman and reality television personality. He is known for Chrisley Knows Best, a USA Network series that followed his family across homes in Georgia and Tennessee. The show ran from 2014 to 2023 and produced the spinoff Growing Up Chrisley.

In 2019 a federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted Chrisley and his wife, Julie Chrisley. Prosecutors said the couple submitted false documents to community banks to obtain more than $30 million in loans, then hid income from their television work to avoid taxes. A jury convicted both in June 2022. In November 2022, U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced Todd Chrisley to 12 years in federal prison and Julie Chrisley to seven years. The court ordered them to pay $17.8 million in restitution.

Todd Chrisley served at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola, a minimum-security facility in Florida. Julie Chrisley was held at Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky. On May 27, 2025, President Donald Trump announced pardons for both. They were released from custody on May 28, 2025, after serving roughly two and a half years.

Career

Chrisley was born April 6, 1969. He worked in real estate development and built a portfolio of business ventures in the Atlanta and Nashville areas. He often presented an image of extreme wealth. In 2012 he filed for bankruptcy. Court filings from that case listed close to $50 million in debt against about $4.2 million in assets.

Chrisley Knows Best premiered on the USA Network in 2014. The series centered on Todd, Julie, and their children. Todd was cast as a demanding father focused on appearances and order. The show ran for ten seasons and ended in 2023. A spinoff, Growing Up Chrisley, followed two of the children to Los Angeles. The family earned millions from the franchise during its run.

Federal Case

In August 2019 a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia returned an indictment against Todd and Julie Chrisley. The charges included conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and tax evasion. Their accountant, Peter Tarantino, was charged in the tax portion of the case.

Prosecutors described two connected schemes. The first ran from roughly 2007 to 2012. The Chrisleys and a former business partner submitted false documents to community banks in the Atlanta area. The documents included fabricated bank statements, audit reports, and personal financial statements that overstated the couple's assets. On the strength of those papers, the couple obtained more than $30 million in loans.

According to the government, the couple spent the loan proceeds on cars, designer clothing, real estate, and travel. The reality show presented that lifestyle as the result of legitimate business success. When some of the debt could not be repaid, Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy and walked away from more than $20 million of it.

The second scheme involved taxes. The Chrisleys earned millions from Chrisley Knows Best through a loan-out company. Prosecutors said they kept the corporate accounts in Julie Chrisley's name to keep the money out of reach of the IRS, which was trying to collect about half a million dollars in delinquent taxes owed by Todd. The couple also failed to file or pay taxes for several years during the relevant period.

Trial and Sentencing

The trial opened in May 2022 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. On June 7, 2022, a federal jury convicted both Todd and Julie Chrisley on all counts of the superseding indictment. The verdict covered conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit tax evasion. Julie Chrisley was also convicted of obstruction of justice for giving false documents to investigators. Tarantino was convicted on two tax counts.

On November 21, 2022, Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced the couple. Todd Chrisley received 12 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Julie Chrisley received seven years followed by three years of supervised release. The court ordered the two to pay $17.8 million in restitution.

Chrisley denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings. He said he had been targeted by a former employee who supplied false information to investigators. He stated publicly that he felt no remorse because he did not believe he had committed the crimes.

Incarceration

Todd Chrisley reported to Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in January 2023. The facility is a minimum-security camp in the Florida panhandle. Julie Chrisley was designated to Federal Medical Center Lexington, a medical facility for women in Kentucky.

The couple pursued appeals while in custody. In June 2024, a panel of the Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the convictions but vacated Julie Chrisley's sentence. The panel found the trial court had miscalculated her sentence by holding her responsible for the bank fraud from its start in 2006, when the evidence did not support involvement that early. The case returned to the district court for resentencing on that point.

Julie Chrisley was resentenced on September 25, 2024. Her attorneys asked for a term of no more than five years. Judge Ross reimposed the original seven-year sentence. The judge said Julie was a central part of the scheme and had not accepted responsibility.

The Chrisleys also asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. That petition was pending when the pardons ended the litigation.

Pardon and Release

On May 27, 2025, President Donald Trump said he would pardon both Todd and Julie Chrisley. The pardons were full and unconditional. The couple was released from federal custody on May 28, 2025. Todd left Federal Prison Camp Pensacola and Julie left Federal Medical Center Lexington. The two returned to the Nashville area.

The pardons followed a public campaign led by the couple's daughter, Savannah Chrisley. She had taken on care of her younger brother, Grayson, and her niece, Chloe, while her parents were incarcerated.

Savannah Chrisley spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. In her remarks she said politics had played a role in her parents' prosecution and praised Trump. She also retained counsel to seek clemency.

A White House statement described the action as a second chance for people it said had been unfairly targeted by the justice system. After his release, Todd Chrisley again said he had not committed the crimes for which he was convicted. He said in his first public comments that he had been convicted of something he did not do. The family has said it plans to return to television.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What was Todd Chrisley convicted of?

A federal jury in Atlanta convicted Todd Chrisley on June 7, 2022, of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit tax evasion. Prosecutors proved that he and his wife, Julie, submitted false documents to community banks to obtain more than $30 million in loans and hid income from their reality show to avoid taxes.

Q: How long was Todd Chrisley's sentence?

Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced Todd Chrisley to 12 years in federal prison on November 21, 2022, with three years of supervised release to follow. He served about two and a half years before President Donald Trump pardoned him in May 2025. Julie Chrisley received a seven-year sentence in the same case.

Q: Was Todd Chrisley pardoned?

Yes. President Donald Trump granted full pardons to Todd and Julie Chrisley. The president announced the pardons on May 27, 2025, and the couple was released from federal custody on May 28, 2025. The pardons ended a pending Supreme Court petition and the couple's other appeals.

Q: When was Todd Chrisley released from prison?

Todd Chrisley was released from Federal Prison Camp Pensacola on May 28, 2025, the day after President Trump announced the pardons. His wife, Julie, was released the same day from Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky. The two returned to the Nashville area.

Q: Where was Todd Chrisley imprisoned?

Todd Chrisley served at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola, a minimum-security facility in the Florida panhandle. He reported there in January 2023. Julie Chrisley was held separately at Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky.

Q: What happened to Julie Chrisley's sentence?

A federal appeals court upheld Julie Chrisley's convictions in June 2024 but vacated her seven-year sentence over a sentencing calculation error. She was resentenced on September 25, 2024, and Judge Ross reimposed the same seven-year term. The presidential pardon in May 2025 released her before she finished it.

Q: How much money was involved in the Chrisley case?

Prosecutors said Todd and Julie Chrisley obtained more than $30 million in bank loans using false documents. The couple was ordered to pay $17.8 million in restitution. They also hid income from their reality show to avoid taxes the IRS was trying to collect.