Julie Chrisley to be resentenced for bank fraud scheme, original prison time thrown out
"Chrisley Knows Best" star Julie Chrisley's nearly six-year prison sentence has been thrown out after federal judges ruled that her case had insufficient evidence.
On Friday, judges from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the judge in Chrisley's 2022 trial miscalculated her sentence and did not find evidence proving her full involvement in the bank fraud scheme for which she was sentenced, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY.
The court of appeals upheld Chrisley, her husband Todd Chrisley and their accountant Peter Tarantino's convictions, but found the original trial judge miscalculated Julie Chrisley's sentence. She was held responsible for the entire fraud scheme, which began in 2006.
"The district court did not identify the evidence it relied on to hold Julie accountable for losses incurred before 2007, and we cannot independently find it in the record," the judges wrote in their unpublished opinion.
Julie Chrisley will be resentenced in a lower court.
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"We're pleased that the Court agreed that Julie's sentence was improper, but we’re obviously disappointed that it rejected Todd's appeal," Julie and Todd Chrisley's lawyer Alex Little said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY Tuesday. "With this step behind us, we can now challenge the couple's convictions based on the illegal search that started the case."
He continued: "The family appreciates the continued support they've received throughout this process. And they're hopeful for more good news in the future."
The Chrisleys' daughter Savannah Chrisley shared an update on the case in an Instagram video on Friday.
"Didn't necessarily go as we hoped," she said. "But we do have a little win."
The 26-year-old added that she is a "firm believer" that her mother would be able to come home "sooner rather than later."
"Please just be prayerful," she continued. "And I have some other ideas up my sleeve to get dad home."
In April, Todd Chrisley was ordered to pay $755,000 to a former Georgia Department of Revenue investigator who sued him for defamation in 2021.
A Georgia jury found Todd Chrisley liable for defamatory statements against Amy Doherty-Heinze that he shared on his podcast and social media accounts, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY.
Todd is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for his role in the bank fraud and tax evasion scheme, reduced from his original 12-year sentence.
In January, the family's legal team announced Todd and Julie Chrisley would receive a $1 million settlement from the state of Georgia to resolve a 2019 lawsuit the couple filed against a former state tax official.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson