Where Todd Chrisley’s Appeal Stands After Julie’s Overturned Prison Sentence
Where Todd Chrisley’s Appeal Stands After Julie’s Overturned Prison Sentence
Despite Julie Chrisley’s sentencing being overturned, Todd Chrisley’s conviction on charges of bank fraud and tax evasion have been upheld.
Todd Chrisley’s conviction has been upheld.
Despite the fact that a three-judge panel on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned his wife Julie Chrisley’s sentencing, the panel did deny the couple’s appeal for their tax evasion and bank fraud convictions.
Instead, per court documents obtained by E! News, the panel ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove Julie had been involved in the bank fraud scheme, which began in 2006, before 2007. It will be up to a lower court to determine how her sentencing will be adjusted per the new ruling. Todd’s 12-year-sentence, which was reduced to 10 years in September, will not be affected.
Following the update in the case, the family’s counsel told E! News, “We’re pleased that the Court agreed that Julie’s sentence was improper, but we’re obviously disappointed that it rejected Todd’s appeal.”
“With this step behind us, we can now challenge the couple’s convictions based on the illegal search that started the case,” the statement continued, appearing to refer to the misconduct case the couple settled earlier this year. “The family appreciates the continued support they’ve received throughout this process. And they’re hopeful for more good news in the future.”
The court’s decision to uphold the Chrisley’s convictions, as well as that of their accountant Peter Tarantino‘s, comes six months after Julie and Todd received a $1 million settlement from the state of Georgia after they sued former special investigator Joshua Waites for misconduct in his handling of their investigation.
The settlement was awarded in January after a Sept. 2021 report from Atlanta’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) supported Todd’s claim “he was unfairly targeted for investigation due to his ‘celebrity status. In addition to finding assets seized from the Chrisley’s home were missued, the report said Joshua’s office filed an improper request with the U.S. Treasury Department to access the reality TV stars’ bank accounts.
Yet despite settling their misconduct suit, in April Todd was ordered to pay Amy Doherty-Heinze—a former special agent with the Georgia Department of Revenue (GDOR)—a total of $755,000 from a separate defamation suit.
In 2021 Amy filed a defamation complaint, obtained by People, against the reality star alleging Todd “began attacking [her] and accusing her of a multitude of crimes and wrongdoing” in 2020 amid the GDOR’s investigation into the couple.
Per the complaint, Todd “began a social media campaign against the GDOR and certain of its employees, contending that the investigation was illegal and improperly motivated.” Amy said she was targeted in the social media campaign despite not being involved in the investigation.
Following the defamation verdict, Todd’s attorney Leesa Guarnotta questioned the validity of Amy’s claim on the principle of freedom of speech.
“We are concerned about the state of the First Amendment where such a case could make it to trial in the first place,” she said in a statement to People at the time, adding that they are “pleased the jury recognized that some of Mr. Chrisley’s statements were not defamatory and awarded the plaintiff a fourth of the damages she requested.”
But despite the victories and setbacks Todd and Julie have experienced as they fight their convictions on charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States, their family isn’t giving up hope on having the verdicts overturned.
Following the news of Julie’s sentencing being overturned, Savannah Chrisley celebrated the update by sharing the court ruling to her June 24 Instagram Story alongside the raised hands emoji.
She captioned her post, “The fight never ends.”
For more of the Growing Up Chrisley family’s sweetest moments, keep reading.
