Why Todd Chrisley Owes Over $750K To An Ex-Government Worker

Todd and Julie Chrisley’s realities were quite different this time last year, as the celebrity couple were still in their respective prisons just shortly before being pardoned by President Trump. More recently, the Chrisleys have been settling back into their old lives and, all the while, rumors have been swirling around their financial state. Although neither of them are providing specifics on their money, what’s known is that Todd is now in the position of owing more than $700,000 to a former government employee.

Several years ago, Todd Chrisley became ensnared in a lawsuit initiated by Amy Doherty-Heinze, a former tax creditor with the Georgia Department of Revenue. Doherty-Heinze alleged that Chrisley launched a smear campaign against her amid his and Julie’s tax fraud trial, and he reportedly made false statements about the tax official and some of her colleagues. Doherty-Heinze ultimately won her defamation suit in 2024 and, as a result, Chrisley currently owes her $750,000 in restitution.

Per a recent update from TMZ, the Chrisley Knows Best star has allegedly still not paid off that debt, and Doherty-Heinze is apparently taking steps to obtain the money. The former Department of Revenue employee recently filed documents in Tennessee, where the Chrisleys are now purportedly living. While the news outlet doesn’t provide any specifics regarding how Doherty-Heinze is aiming to get the money, it’s reported that she’s taking the necessary steps to obtain payment.

The lawsuit came years after Todd and Julie Chrisley were found guilty of tax evasion, bank fraud and other finance-based offenses. In time, the couple were sentenced to years in prison, with Todd being ordered to serve 12 years in the Florida-based Federal Prison Camp and Julie sentenced to seven years at Lexington Medical Center in Kentucky. Ahead of reporting to prison, both Chrisleys (as well as their daughter, Savannah) were critical of the court’s handling of their case.

As a result of their guilty verdicts, the Chrisleys were also ordered to pay restitution to the banks they allegedly defrauded. That total sum came to $17.2 million, and insiders claimed the Chrisleys would have to sell off significant assets in order to pay off that sum. During an interview in 2025, however, the couple revealed they hadn’t paid any of that money due to the court order being put on hold amid their appeal process. It was during that same interview, from Tamron Hall, that Todd revealed he and Julie paid $3 million in legal fees.

Since the Chrisleys were released from prison, sources have alleged that their money problems aren’t over. When Todd Chrisley responded, he refuted the notion that he and his spouse were in financial trouble, declaring that the public at large had no idea how much money he actually had in his bank account.

The specifics of the Chrisleys’ financial standing may not be known to the general public right now but, regardless of that, the $750,000 payment Amy Doherty-Heinze is seeking, still signifies a lot of money. As of this writing, Todd’s lawyer has yet to provide comment on Doherty-Heinze’s recently filed legal documents or how the Chrisley patriarch is planning to pay the court-ordered sum.