Julie Chrisley, the matriarch of Chrisley Knows Best, had a big setback in her case when her seven-year jail sentence was upheld. In 2022, Chrisley was found guilty, along with her husband Todd, on federal charges of tax evasion and bank fraud. As attorneys for Chrisley filed an appeal on behalf of their client against the length of her sentencing, a judge in Georgia upheld the original 84-month sentence in September 2024.
Background: Convictions and Initial Sentencing
This legal wrangle for the Chrisleys started in 2019 when they were charged on several counts, which included conspiracy to defraud banks of more than $30 million alongside tax evasion. After their trial that started in mid-2021 and went halfway through 2022, Julie and Todd were convicted on their various charges. Julie was given 7 years, while Todd was given 12 years imprisonment at the federal level. The couple surrendered themselves to prison in January 2023: Todd officially reporting to his place in Florida, while Julie being transferred to the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
The federal prosecutors added their voices to the financial fraud scheme where fake documents were used to get loans, with the Chrisleys providing information that the cash they received was spent on fancies and not business as required. The prosecution also noted that the Chrisleys tried to defraud the IRS of taxes, adding to their troubles under the law.
Appeal for Reduced Sentencing and Recent Rulings
Lawyers representing Julie Chrisley have, since the past year or so, said that Julie’s sentence was too long; after all, she is a mother and caretaker of her aging mother. They argued how the imprisonment will impact her family—the 74-year-old mother taking care of Julie’s youngest children in particular.
However, despite such arguments, her recent appeal was denied. In September 2024, a judge confirmed her seven-year sentence. Legal experts who know her case well say the probable reason for the decision could be due to the heavyweight of the crimes of which Julie was convicted and the solid amount of financial damage after the Chrisleys’ actions.
Family Reaction to Sentence and Media Attention
The Chrisley family hasn’t held back about their trials with the uphill legal battles they have had to climb. This perhaps goes even more so for their daughter Savannah Chrisley, who has taken the younger Chrisley siblings in under her wing. Recently, on her podcast, she spoke about the continuous legal obstacles and wished for leniency in both her parents’ sentencing. It now seems, in light of this latest court decision, that those hopes have been squashed-for the time being, at least.
The Chrisleys’ path through the courts is followed by media outlets from major ones to smaller ones, such as People, Fox News, NBC, and E! News, who report on every step taken in this case. What stands out most are the emotional appeals of the Chrisleys and their lawyers, and the inability to evade some pretty rough realities regarding the sentence passed down. But Julie’s case has received the most attention thus far, not only because she’s a reality TV star, but because of the overarching questions it brings up about accountability by celebrities in financial fraud cases.
What’s Next for Julie Chrisley?
Since the appeal is being denied, Julie Chrisley will likely stay with FMC Lexington, to which she was consigned in January 2023. Of course, her lawyers might try to move with further motions; otherwise, the focus might change and shift to the time she has to spend inside prison with credit for time served and perhaps further early release on good behavior.
Meanwhile, Todd Chrisley serves his twelve-year sentence, lately reduced by two years and setting a release date in 2033. That small victory didn’t dissipate the negativity looming over this family’s future. With both parents behind bars, the children trying to sort the mess, it was anyone’s guess.
Julie Chrisley finally had her hope for a lesser sentence dashed when a Georgia court upheld her seven-year sentence on file. This has now set the stage for the dramatic turn in one of the highly publicized cases in recent years, dating back to 2019. With the Chrisley family facing all these challenges, the case could still be pursued by the media and legal analysts with more interest paid to implications about financial crimes in general and celebrity justice.
As the months drag on, attention may likely shift to how the Chrisleys’ attorneys hash out the remainder of their years, whether any more appeals or motions are in the pipe.
