Todd And Julie Chrisley Just Saw A Major Setback In Their Bank Fraud Appeal

Over the past several months, many eyes have been on celebrity couple Todd and Julie Chrisley, as the two face the ramifications of their legal entanglement. The Chrisley Knows Best stars were found guilty of bank fraud and other offenses in June 2022 and, in November, they were sentenced to years in prison. Shortly after their hearing, it was confirmed that the Chrisleys would seek to appeal. Their lawyer, Alex Little, felt “optimistic” about their chances of success at the time but, amid those efforts, they’ve now experienced a major setback.

Todd and Julie Chrisley’s request for bail has been formally denied, according to court documents obtained by People. In addition, their petition to have their surrender date extended by 21 days has also been turned down. As a result, the Chrisleys are still set to report to prison in Florida on January 17. As of this writing, neither the couple nor their lawyer have commented on the decision. 

As the USA Network veterans seek to appeal their conviction, Alex Little has been vocal about why he thinks his clients will be successful. Little, in a statement, asserted that their trial “was marred by serious and repeated errors.” One of the alleged mistakes, in his estimation, is that the government lied to the jury “about what taxes the couple paid.” With that and other factors that he perceives as having been detrimental to the legal proceedings, Little thinks the husband and wife “[have] a good chance at winning.”

Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie received 7, with both each being handed 16 months of probation as well. In addition, a judge ordered them to pay $17.2 million in restitution for their misdeeds. (It’s been reported that they could pay off the hefty debt by selling various assets like their mansions.) Per reports, the Chrisleys are not happy about their situation and feel that “they were targeted unfairly by the judge.” 

When it comes to the places where they’ll be serving their time, a legal expert tells People that the prisons are “no country club.” Julie Chrisley will essentially stay at a “confinement” camp that’s apparently akin to a “college dormitory situation.” Todd, meanwhile, will be at the FPC Pensacola, which is a male-only facility that has minimum security. A recent report alleged that Todd will have to scrub toilets in prison, though that purportedly won’t put a dent in his multi-million-dollar debt. 

Additional stories and comments from relatives have shed light on how the spouses have been spending their time in the lead-up to their surrenders. Lindsie Chrisley spoke about her parents, saying that they’ve been “living every day like it's [their] last, enjoying the moment, spending time with their kids that are in Nashville.” Speaking of their kids, they were also making custody arrangements for their teenage son, Grayson, and granddaughter/adopted daughter Chloe. However, the latter’s mother, Angela Johnson, is looking to get custody and has since been called out by Todd for attempting to do so.

All of this aside though, it would appear that nothing has changed within the Chrisley’s legal situation, at the moment. Chances are they may not try to make any additional moves, with their surrender date only days away now. But of course, only time will tell if that is for sure the case.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.