Todd and Julie Chrisley, best known for their reality show Chrisley Knows Best, have been found guilty of a litany of charges, including conspiracy to defraud banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans. Not only that, the couple and their accountant, Peter Tarantino, were also convicted of several tax crimes, wire fraud, and even obstruction of justice.
After a three-week trial in Federal District Court in Atlanta, a jury found the couple, along with their lawyer, guilty on all counts they were facing. The bombshell verdict — announced by the Department of Justice in a press release — lays bare the numerous financial crimes committed by the self-made moguls.
A post shared by Todd Chrisley (@toddchrisley)
“As today’s outcome shows, when you lie, cheat and steal, justice is blind as to your fame, your fortune, and your position,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, in a statement. “In the end, when driven by greed, the verdict of guilty on all counts for these three defendants proves once again that financial crimes do not pay.”
The couple is facing as much as 30 years in prison, according to the New York Times. They will be sentenced at a later date.
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The Chrisleys are “disappointed” with the verdict, according to Todd’s attorney Bruce Morris, who noted that the couple plans to appeal the jury’s decision.
Federal prosecutors indicted the Chrisleys on tax evasion charges back in August 2019. Prosecutors filed an additional indictment in February of this year. Following the original indictment, Todd denied any wrongdoing on Instagram.
“We have nothing to hide and have done nothing to be ashamed of,” he wrote, alongside a picture of his family. “Not only do we know we’ve done nothing wrong, but we’ve got a ton of hard evidence and a bunch of corroborating witnesses that proves it.”
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Todd placed the blame on an employee that the couple had fired in 2012 after they had learned that the worker had stolen from them. The Chrisley Knows Best star accused the employee of being vindictive and alleged that he sought revenge by sending “phony documents” to the U.S. attorney’s office, adding that he also believes the employee told federal prosecutors that “we had committed all kinds of financial crimes.”
Source: New York Times, E! Online
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