Todd Chrisley’s Attorney Speaks Out After His Petition To Serve Out Remainder Of Prison Sentence At Home Sparks An Investigation

screenshot from chrisley knows best
(Image credit: USA Network)

Julie and Todd Chrisley remain in jail due to being found guilty of bank fraud and more in the summer of 2022. Meanwhile, numerous reports regarding the nature of their incarcerations continue to circulate. The children of the Chrisley Knows Best stars (who reported to jail this past January) have also made claims about the prisons. All in all, they've alleged that the facilities are subpar and unsafe. Amid all that, it was reported that Todd filed a petition to serve the rest of his 12-year sentence at home. That request has since been denied, and it’s apparently sparked an investigation. Now, the family’s lawyer is speaking out on the matter. 

Jay Surgent is one of the newest members of the Chrisley family’s defense team, and he’s r been speaking out on his clients’ behalf as of late. He confirmed that Todd Chrisley’s request is being “investigated internally” after it was “rejected.” Per Surgent, Todd was completing the application for release under the CARES Act, which includes home confinement provisions. The lawyer, while mentioning that other apps were denied alongside the 54-year-old star’s, claims the rejection happened because someone opted not to process the appeal: 

He submitted it, but the person that was administrating it and was in charge of processing it, decided that she didn't want to do that. She decided not to do it. And then, the time period for the application expired, so he wasn't given due consideration with reference to being admitted to home confinement or taken advantage of some type of a probationary program.

As of this writing, the Chrisley patriarch is doing time at the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola, Florida. Jay Surgent went on to tell People that Todd and Julie are “living in squalor in 100-degree temperatures” and that “there’s no air conditioning, there’s no nothing.” The lawyer slammed the facilities in another statement released in the past week, which came on the heels of claims made by the couple’s daughter, Savannah, and son, Chase. Savannah also claimed her mother was facing down snakes in her facility, with her brother alleging that only “mace” was being used by staff to ward off the purported reptiles. 

When it comes to the rejected petition, the brood’s attorney isn’t pleased with the investigation that’s now taking place. His comments suggest that he believes the situation shouldn’t have come to this: 

It's very, very unfortunate, and that matter is now being investigated internally, and we feel as though there was no reason why it should have not been processed, even in light of his prison term.

The conversation surrounding the couple’s penitentiary arrangements has picked up serious momentum as of late. Though Savannah Chrisley made comments on the subject as early as February 2023. At the time, she claimed Julie – who’s serving seven years at Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky – had no air. She also said even “service dogs for the prison that are in a heated and cooled building.” After that, the Federal Prison Bureau reacted and, while it didn’t provide specifics on the jail, it asserted that temperatures were regulated accordingly based on the weather. 

Todd and Julie Chrisley are currently seeking to appeal their convictions and are allegedly looking at all options. Their other attorney, Alex Little, argued that they would receive a retrial, based on alleged errors present within their legal proceedings. There’s no telling whether he, Jay Surgent and the rest of the defense team’s efforts will be successful. We’ll just have to wait and see how the situation plays out on that front and with the home confinement petition investigation as well. 

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.