Todd and Julie Chrisley plan to appeal convictions and prison sentences, attorney says

An lawyer representing Todd and Julie Chrisley stated the truth stars plan to attraction their federal jail sentences and convictions for tax evasion and financial institution fraud.

Alex Little, household lawyer for the husband-and-wife stars of USA Community’s “Chrisley Is aware of Greatest,” stated prosecutors misled jurors concerning the Chrisleys not paying their taxes and relied on illegally obtained proof all through the trial.

“Their trial was marred by severe and repeated errors, together with the federal government mendacity to jurors about what taxes the couple paid,” Little stated in an announcement. “Based mostly on these points, we’re optimistic concerning the highway forward.”

U.S. District Decide Eleanor Ross in Atlanta sentenced Todd Chrisley on Monday to 12 years in jail and 16 months probation and his spouse, Julie Chrisley, to seven years in jail and 16 months probation.

The size of their sentence phrases was lower than what was federally really helpful as a result of couple’s ages, well being and their take care of Todd’s mom, who has well being points, stated legal protection lawyer Bruce Morris, who represented the couple in the course of the trial.

Ross had ordered the Chrisleys to serve their jail phrases in Florida amenities — the minimum-security Federal Jail Camp in Pensacola for Todd and low-security Federal Correctional Establishment in Tallahassee for Julie — to permit their youngsters time to go to each mother and father inside a single day, Morris stated.

Nevertheless, after the sentencing listening to Monday, each Chrisleys had been allowed to return dwelling, the place they at present stay. They had been ordered to voluntarily give up to authorities on Jan. 15, Little stated.

Inside the attraction, Little advised the courtroom after the sentencing, he plans to request that the Chrisleys stay free till the appellate courtroom comes to a decision. That course of might take as much as two years.

Little advised The Instances that the couple has “a very good probability at profitable.”

“We wish to have the ability to have the appellate courtroom hear their attraction, which we consider presents some severe questions within the conviction,” Little stated.

Each Chrisleys had been charged in 2019 with conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud, financial institution fraud, conspiracy to defraud the USA and tax fraud. Julie Chrisley was additionally charged with wire fraud and obstruction of justice. A jury discovered the couple responsible on all fees in June.

Prosecutors alleged that the Chrisleys, together with their accountant, submitted pretend paperwork to banks when making use of for loans, defrauding banks of greater than $36 million, to fund their costly life-style. They stated the couple spent the cash on luxurious vehicles, designer garments, actual property and journey. Prosecutors additionally accused Julie Chrisley of submitting a false credit score report and pretend financial institution statements when attempting to lease a home in California, and that the couple then refused to pay lease a couple of months after they began utilizing the house.

Allegations additionally included a scheme to defraud the Inner Income Service to keep away from paying taxes, prosecutors stated. The Chrisleys did not file tax returns or pay any taxes from 2013 to 2016, at the same time as their wealth amassed whereas they starred of their actuality TV present, which debuted in 2014.

“As this sentencing proves, if you lie, cheat, and steal, justice is blind to your fame, fortune, and place,” stated Keri Farley, particular agent in command of FBI Atlanta, in an announcement after Monday’s sentencing.

Nevertheless, for the reason that June conviction, the Chrisleys’ attorneys have filed repeated motions, asking for a brand new trial and trying to forged doubt on the prosecution’s case. They stated prosecutors lied to the courtroom, leaned on unlawful proof and supplied an absence of proof to show the couple was concerned in a conspiracy to defraud the federal government. In a single movement, attorneys deflected a lot of the blame onto the Chrisleys’ accountant, Peter Tarantino, who was additionally convicted and sentenced to jail for his position.

“The one settlement established by the proof at trial is that Tarantino ready the Chrisley’s tax returns,” attorneys wrote in courtroom paperwork. “However there isn’t any proof the Chrisleys knew what info Tarantino included of their returns or that the data included was false.”

The Chrisleys’ most up-to-date primary rivalry rested on an IRS agent who their attorneys stated “misled the jury and the Court docket” in the course of the trial, in line with courtroom paperwork.

In a movement for a brand new trial filed in August, Chrisleys’ attorneys alleged an IRS agent, Officer Betty Carter, had lied to the jury whereas giving testimony and to the courtroom concerning the couple not paying their taxes in 2014 and 2015, referring to an audit of IRS information. They stated prosecutors additionally knew about and inspired the IRS agent’s plan to mislead the jury, and had failed to tell the courtroom.

“This testimony had the impact of falsely portray the Chrisleys as untruthful, prone to commit different types of fraud, and evading the tax funds alleged within the indictment,” the Chrisleys’ attorneys wrote within the movement.

A later movement filed earlier this month additionally known as on the courtroom to sanction Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Krepp and Annalise Peters, the prosecutors within the case, for his or her alleged half within the false testimony and to mislead the courtroom.

The Chrisleys additionally argued that a lot of the prosecution’s proof of tax information was “obtained illegally” in searches of warehouses. They known as the search warrants “fatally overbroad.” Proof from the preliminary search allowed IRS brokers to seek for extra proof used to incriminate the couple, courtroom paperwork stated.

Though Decide Ross rejected the sooner motions, the Chrisleys are anticipated to make these arguments once more earlier than the appellate courtroom of their attraction of their convictions and sentences.

“Yesterday was a tough day for the Chrisley household,” Little’s assertion continued. “However Todd and Julie are folks of religion, and that religion provides them energy as they attraction their convictions.”