Todd and Julie Chrisley were sent to federal prison after being convicted of multiple financial crimes, mainly bank fraud, tax fraud, and related conspiracy charges tied to a years‑long scheme to obtain fraudulent loans and evade taxes. They have since been pardoned and released, but their convictions themselves were for white‑collar financial offenses, not a violent crime.

What they were convicted of

Court proceedings showed that the Chrisleys were found guilty on several serious federal charges.

  • Conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud (using falsified financial documents to obtain loans).
  • Conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax fraud (hiding income and failing to pay proper federal taxes).
  • Julie Chrisley was also convicted of wire fraud linked to falsified documents and financial representations.

In June 2022, a federal jury in Georgia found them guilty on all counts after a multi‑week trial.

How the scheme allegedly worked

Prosecutors said the couple’s financial crimes stretched over years and started even before their reality‑TV fame.

  • They allegedly submitted fake bank statements, credit reports, and other documents to obtain over tens of millions of dollars in loans to fund a luxury lifestyle.
  • They then allegedly used bankruptcy and hidden income to avoid repaying those loans and to reduce what they showed to the IRS.
  • Authorities also said some falsified documents were used in connection with renting an upscale home in California.

The jury accepted the prosecution’s version and rejected the Chrisleys’ argument that they were misled by others handling their finances.

Their sentences and prison time

Once convicted, the judge handed down substantial sentences for both.

  • Todd Chrisley: 12 years in federal prison, plus supervised release and an order to pay millions in restitution (around 17–18 million dollars).
  • Julie Chrisley: 7 years in federal prison, also followed by supervised release and included in the restitution order.
  • Their accountant, Peter Tarantino, was separately sentenced to a shorter prison term over tax‑related offenses.

They reported to prison in January 2023 after their request for bail pending appeal was denied.

Appeals and later changes

There were some twists after sentencing, but the underlying “why” stayed the same: the financial‑crime convictions remained in place.

  • In 2024, a federal appeals court upheld their convictions but told the trial judge to redo part of Julie’s sentencing calculation; she ultimately received another seven‑year term at resentencing.
  • In May 2025, President Donald Trump granted them full pardons, leading to their early release from federal custody even though the original convictions stemmed from fraud and tax crimes.

So, in simple terms: they were put in prison for a long‑running pattern of bank fraud, tax fraud, and related conspiracies, all tied to falsified financial documents, hidden income, and unpaid taxes, not for anything unrelated to money or violence.