The 51-year-old "Chrisley Knows Best" star has served 21 months of her seven-year sentence that was handed down to her after she and her husband, Todd Chrisley, were convicted of lying to banks throughout metro Atlanta to obtain $36 million in loans and then hiding their income from the Internal Revenue Service to avoid paying federal taxes on more than $500,000.
Chrisley's sentence was vacated in June by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit after the court found a legal error in the calculation of her sentence, requiring the lower court to reassess her punishment.
Prosecutors asked the judge to keep Chrisley's sentence at seven years. Her attorneys had requested a shorter sentence.
The judge sided with the prosecution, ruling that Chrisley should remain in custody for 84 months.
Chrisley and her attorneys had requested that she be resentenced virtually. A judge denied that request as well as another request that Chrisley be able to appear in court in civilian clothes instead of a prison uniform.
The Resentencing Decision
The judge’s decision in Julie Chrisley‘s resentencing hearing has been revealed. And it’s bad news for the reality star, reports wsbtv.com.
Chrisley’s case hearing in Atlanta on Wednesday, September 25 determined that she will now serve a sentence of 84 months, which is exactly the same as her original sentencing of seven years. The judge at the today’s court hearing refused to reduce her time in. prison. The hearing took place at the federal courthouse in downtown Atlanta.
Chrisley's Legal Troubles
The Chrisley Knows Best alum has been in jail for bank fraud and tax evasion since January 2023, as has her husband, Todd Chrisley. He’s been serving his sentence at Florida’s Federal Prison Camp Pensacola while Julie has been serving at FMC Lexington in Kentucky.
Julie’s sentence was vacated in June after a successful appeal. The hearing on Wednesday, September 25 was her official resentencing. The government previously asked the judge to maintain her original sentence of seven years.
When the Chrisleys were first tried, Julie got a lesser sentence than her husband because the judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Julie was part of the bank fraud scheme when it began in 2006.
When her appeal for a resentencing trial was accepted in June 2024, and judge said at the time that “Our review of the record hasn’t revealed evidence to show, even by a preponderance of the evidence, that [Julie] was involved in 2006. Indeed, the government’s brief concedes that the evidence shows Julie ‘participated in the bank fraud conspiracy from 2007,’ not 2006,” per People.
The case was then sent to lower courts for resentencing, but Todd’s appeal was rejected. His sentence is 12 years in prison and 16 months of probation.
Julie Chrisley's Response
Julie Chrisley was present for the hearing, which took place in Atlanta, and briefly addressed the court. “I apologize for my actions and what led me to where I am today,” she said, per AP. She also said, “I cannot ever repay my children for what they have had to go through, and for that I am sorry.”
According to a ruling obtained by TODAY.com, the court “provided justification for the sentence imposed.” Julie Chrisley was re-sentenced 84 months (seven years) in prison and five years of supervised release. She was originally sentenced to seven years.
Family Support
The day before her mother’s resentencing, Savannah Chrisley asked her Instagram followers to keep Julie Chrisley in their thoughts ahead of the hearing.
“Tomorrow, September 25th, is my mom’s resentencing date. All I ask of y’all is just to pray. Pray for my mom, pray for my family, and pray for the judge. Pray that my momma gets to come home to a community of people who need her & love her ❤️🙏🏼,” she captioned the post.
Savannah Chrisley also addressed her mother’s resentencing in a July episode of her “Unlocked” podcast, calling the news “a really big deal” and saying she hoped Julie Chrisley would be home “by Thanksgiving.”
“Now we sit and wait, hopefully, no more than 90 days to go for that hearing,” she said at the time. “Hopefully, she comes home. If she comes home, oh, my gosh, life will be so much better.”
In the time since her resentencing was announced, Julie requested permission not to attend the hearing remotely via Zoom instead of in person to avoid traveling from Kentucky to Atlanta, but that request was denied. She also requested permission to appear in court in civilian clothing instead of her prison jumpsuit for the hearing. That request was also denied.
The Chrisley's Road to Prison
Todd and Julie Chrisley are serving their sentences in different states and first reported to their separate prisons in January 2023. On Sept. 8, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reduced Todd and Julie Chrisley’s sentences by two years and 14 monthsrespectively.
According to a Bureau of Prisons record search on Sept. 25, 2024, Julie Chrisley is expected to be released April 22, 2028.
The “Chrisley Knows Best” stars’ legal woesoriginated in 2017 when Todd Chrisley was investigated in Georgia after he failed to pay state income tax for years. In 2019, a federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted Todd and Julie Chrisley on the following charges: 12 counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
After settling their tax evasion charge and paying $147,944.75, the couple went on to face their 12-count federal indictment and were convicted in June 2022.
The Chrisley's Legal Team
The Chrisleys' legal team has been active in challenging the sentences. They have argued that Julie Chrisley was not a part of the conspiracy when it began in 2006 and that the judge erred in calculating her sentence. While the appeals court vacated Julie Chrisley's sentence due to insufficient evidence linking her to losses incurred before 2007, it upheld the convictions of Todd Chrisley and Tarantino., ruling that they should continue to serve their 12-year and three-year prison sentences respectively.
Moving Forward
Julie Chrisley's attorneys have said that she will appeal the ruling. The case is likely to continue to be closely followed by the public, as the Chrisley family has become a prominent figure in reality TV. The Chrisley family is expected to continue to navigate the legal system and the public eye as they face the ongoing consequences of their actions. It remains to be seen what the future holds for the family and how they will move forward in the wake of this latest setback.
