Julie Chrisley Released From Prison After Trump Pardons Sentence

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Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley are no longer behind bars.

The pair from the TV show “Chrisley Knows Best“, who had been in prison for two years due to fraud allegations, are now free as President Donald Trump granted them a pardon and commuted their prison sentences.

A short time following Todd’s release from a Florida prison on May 28, it was confirmed by their attorney to TopMob News that Julie had been discharged from the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky as well.

The pair are now on their way home to Nashville, according to the lawyer.

In June 2022, Todd (age 56) and Julie (age 52) were convicted for offenses related to wire fraud, attempting to defraud banks, and deceiving the U.S. government. They began serving their sentences in prison in January 2023.

As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but share the thrilling news! Initially, Todd was facing a grueling 12-year stint behind bars, but fate intervened in September 2023, cutting his sentence down to a still challenging 10 years. On the flip side, Julie’s seven-year sentence took an unexpected turn in June 2024 when an appeals court overturned it due to the original judge’s miscalculation. However, justice eventually prevailed as the ruling was later upheld.

Trump revealed his intention to grant clemency to the couple on May 27, as he conveyed his greetings to their daughter Savannah Chrisley during a telephone conversation from the Oval Office.

According to a video shared by Margo Martin, the Special Assistant to the President and Communications Advisor, it seems they received severe handling, the president stated. I understand they are excellent individuals. Such treatment should not have been meted out to them, he added.

As an ardent admirer putting it in my own words, I’ve heard through the grapevine that the White House has shared with TopMob News that our esteemed leader, Trump, is acquainted with Savannah, but he hasn’t had a personal encounter with Todd or Julie yet. An inspiring figure like Alice Marie Johnson, who was granted clemency by Trump in 2018 and whose case was championed publicly by the influential Kim Kardashian, was the one who brought the Chrisleys’ case to the attention of our President.

During the conversation, Savannah, aged 27, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the President while shedding tears. Later in the call, her brother Grayson Chrisley, at 19 years old, chimed in to convey his appreciation for the action that led to ‘reuniting my parents.’

Kyle Chrisley, the brother of Todd Chrisley’s siblings, who he has in common with his ex Teresa Terry, expressed his joy as well in the aftermath of the pardon announcement, stating to TopMob News, “I couldn’t be happier. Absolutely!

The speaker, aged 33, expressed, “Savannah has persisted at this task for such a long time without ever giving up. Therefore, I am thankful to both Savannah and President Trump, as they have made it possible for my father and Julie.

For more on the federal case against Todd and Julie, read on.

In August 2019, a federal grand jury in Atlanta accused Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley of 12 counts, including wire fraud, conspiring to commit bank fraud, and defrauding the United States. As reported by NBC News, the prosecution alleges that the fraudulent activities began in the mid-2000s, encompassing an attempt to evade approximately $2 million in state taxes from 2008 to 2016, as well as concealing over $1 million from the Internal Revenue Service.

A day prior to the issuance of the indictment, Todd asserted that he and his spouse were not guilty. Instead, he pointed the finger at a trusted employee, claiming this person was embezzling funds and extorting them.

In his Instagram post, he stated, “We have no secrets and are proud of our actions because they were entirely above board. In fact, not only do we firmly believe we did nothing wrong, but we also possess substantial proof and multiple supporting testimonies to back this up.

Three years elapsed before the stars of Chrisley Knows Best faced trial. Over a span of three weeks, numerous testimonies were heard. Despite pleading not guilty, they were found guilty on all charges related to tax evasion and bank fraud on June 7, 2022.

The U.S. attorney’s office accused the pair, along with their accountant Peter Tarantino (who was also on trial with them), of working together in a scheme to deceive banks out of approximately $30 million over a ten-year period.

In Keri Farley’s June 2022 statement as Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, she emphasized that wealth, status, or popularity won’t shield someone from the consequences of lying, cheating, and stealing. She added that when people are motivated by greed, they will eventually face justice for financial crimes, as demonstrated by the guilty verdict on all counts for these three defendants. In other words, no matter how powerful or influential a person may be, they cannot evade the penalties of unlawful activities involving money.

After five months had passed, the Northern District of Georgia handed down a sentence for Todd, requiring him to serve 12 years in prison, while Julie received a sentence of seven years. (Meanwhile, Peter was given a three-year prison term.)

“For about ten years, these individuals illegally took away vast sums of money from banks, all while dodging their federal tax obligations. This was pointed out by U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan in a statement in November 2022. The long prison terms they received demonstrate the enormity of their criminal activity and should deter others who might consider abusing our country’s community banking system to illegally enrich themselves.”

In September 2023, the sentences of Julie and Todd were truncated. This means that Julie is now set to be discharged a year and a half ahead of schedule, specifically in 2024, while Todd will be freed two years earlier than his initial 2035 release date.

Jay Surgent, their lawyer, stated in September 2023 to Insider that without a shadow of a doubt, Todd and Julie are exemplary inmates who were given unusually long sentences. As of now, he mentioned that Todd has reduced his sentence to ten years, while Julie’s is five years.

In January 2023, the pair began their individual prison terms. Todd was incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Pensacola in Florida, while Julie served her sentence at a separate federal penitentiary in Lexington, Kentucky.

Approximately half a year following the incarceration of both Julie and Todd, their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, shed light on their wellbeing. In this disclosure, she revealed an unfortunate fact: while they were serving their sentences, there was no contact between them.

195 days had passed since they last exchanged words, as she expressed in her August 2023 Instagram post. My heart aches…I implore for fairness and justice!

She also pushed back at rumors about their time in prison.

She found it amusing on her ‘Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley’ podcast when someone commented, ‘He’s let himself go.’ However, she pointed out that hair dye isn’t available in prisons. So naturally, his hair is gray. In fact, if he were released today, she would advise him to keep the gray look because it suits him well.

Nevertheless, Todd voiced his concerns regarding the treatment he received at the federal prison camp in Pensacola, Florida, despite being incarcerated.

In a phone conversation during the December 2023 edition of Cuomo, he stated that the food was no longer good, as it had surpassed its expiration date by a full year.

He went on to say, “There are rats and squirrels infesting our storage facility where the food is kept. They disguised it with plastic, but then they tore open the ceiling due to black mold growth. In the process, they uncovered a deceased cat that had been trapped in the ceiling, which subsequently fell onto the food.

Additionally to the distressing events unfolding in the cafeteria, he claimed that an individual also tried to blackmail his family members.

He mentioned that a picture was taken of him while he was asleep and it was sent to his daughter. He then requested $2,600 per month for her to provide him with protection.

Savannah, currently responsible for her younger brothers Grayson and Chloe due to her parents’ incarceration, shared the emotional burden she feels from their legal issues and limited interaction with each other.

According to her statement to TopMob News in March 2024, she mentioned that the last conversation they had was before they were both sent to federal prison. She claimed there has been a significant amount of retaliation against her father due to their vocal criticism of the prison conditions.

In truth, she claimed that the prison authorities were hindering much of his email communication with her mother.

Even though she didn’t want to focus on herself, she acknowledged that the situation could be overpowering at moments.

On her podcast “Unlocked” in April 2024, Savannah shared, “What I find hard is the sense Mom and Dad have that life seems to carry on without them. Similarly, I often feel this way about certain people in my own life, as if they just keep going with their lives.

She went on, “I’m finding it tough to breathe normally, given all the challenges I face – be it managing finances for the children, juggling the responsibilities of being a parent, and navigating my own relationships.

In June 2024, Julie’s seven-year prison term was reversed by a three-judge panel from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. While they affirmed her convictions, the court found that the presiding judge in the 2022 trial had incorrectly determined the sentence for the reality star.

The district court failed to specify the evidence it used to convict Julie for losses prior to 2007. As a result, we cannot locate this evidence in the records ourselves. Therefore, we are overturning Julie’s sentence and sending the case back to the district court. The district court must then make the necessary factual determinations regarding loss, restitution, and forfeiture involving Julie, as well as re-sentence her accordingly.

In simpler terms, the decision regarding changes to her sentence was given to a lower court, whereas Todd’s sentence didn’t change.

After having her prison sentence reversed three months ago, an Atlanta court eventually confirmed Julie’s initial seven-year prison term. In a heartfelt show of remorse, she apologized, not only to the court but also to her kids.

During the September 25th court hearing, as reported by People, Julie expressed, “Over a substantial period of time, I’ve pondered over what I wished to convey. I want to express regret for my actions and circumstances that have brought us to this point.” She continued, “I’ve spent 20 months in prison, but the true regret goes back further; it encompasses the events leading up to the trial, and for these actions, I offer my sincere apologies.

She’s made every possible effort to reconnect with her family, learning new abilities like operating a forklift and serving food correctly. She acknowledged this phase of her life as the hardest. Regrettably, she can never fully compensate her children for their hardships, and for that, she expresses her deepest apologies.

The Chrisleys have returned home after receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. This information was shared with Savannah during a phone conversation on May 27, 2025.

Savannah expressed her gratitude to TopMob News, stating that over the last two years and six months, she has tirelessly worked to advocate for her parents’ release and reunite her family. This moment represents the answer to countless prayers, and she is deeply appreciative of President Trump for recognizing the truth and bringing about this change in their situation.

They were both released on May 28, 2025.

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2025-05-29 03:17