Reality TV Star Julie Chrisley’s Sentence Overturned by Appeals Judges

Reality TV star Julie Chrisley, known for her show “Chrisley Knows Best,” was convicted in 2022 of bank fraud and tax evasion charges alongside her husband, Todd Chrisley, and their accountant, Peter Tarantino. The three were found guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans while hiding their earnings and living extravagantly.

On Friday, federal appeals judges overturned Julie Chrisley’s sentence and ordered a lower court to redo her punishment, citing a “narrow issue” with how the trial judge calculated her sentence. The Chrisleys’ convictions and Tarantino’s were upheld, but Julie’s sentence needs to be recalculated. The couple was ordered to pay $17.8 million in restitution, and their defense attorneys argued unsuccessfully on appeal that prosecutors knowingly presented false testimony.

The Trial and Conviction

Before becoming reality TV stars, the Chrisleys submitted false documents to banks in the Atlanta area to obtain fraudulent loans, according to prosecutors at their trial. They spent lavishly on luxury cars, designer clothes, real estate, and travel, using fraudulent loans to pay off old ones. Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy, walking away from more than $20 million in unpaid loans. Prosecutors accused the couple of tax evasion by hiding their earnings and living extravagantly. They were both sentenced to federal prison time and ordered to pay restitution.

The Legal Issues

Appeals judges found the trial judge made a legal error in how they calculated Julie Chrisley’s sentence by holding her responsible for the entire bank fraud scheme instead of citing any specific evidence of her involvement in 2006. They found sufficient evidence tying Julie to fraud from multiple years starting in 2007 and instructed the lower court to recalculate her sentence based on the proper loss amount attributable to her. The Chrisleys’ defense attorneys argued unsuccessfully on appeal that prosecutors failed to show enough evidence, and the Chrisleys still owe taxes.

The Future for the Chrisley Family

Julie Chrisley is in federal prison in Kentucky with a release date of July 2028, while Todd Chrisley is in Florida with a release date of September 2032. Their accountant, Peter Tarantino, is in federal prison in Alabama and is scheduled for release in August 2023. The Chrisley family hopes for more good news in the future.

Conclusion

The case of Julie Chrisley’s sentence being overturned by appeals judges has brought new attention to the convictions of the Chrisleys and their accountant, Peter Tarantino, for bank fraud and tax evasion. The legal issues surrounding their case will continue to be debated, but the Chrisley family faces years in federal prison and millions of dollars in restitution payments regardless of the outcome.

Keywords: Julie Chrisley, bank fraud, tax evasion, appeals judges, federal prison, trial, conviction, Peter Tarantino, loss amount, restitution payments, legal issues

Originally Post From https://www.azfamily.com/2024/06/22/reality-tvs-julie-chrisley-must-be-resentenced-bank-fraud-tax-evasion-case-appeals-judges-rule/?outputType=amp

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