Trump to pardon reality-show couple convicted of $36 mn fraud

President Donald Trump will fully pardon reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted three years ago of evading taxes and defrauding banks of more than $30 million to support their luxurious lifestyle.

The pardon, announced Tuesday by the White House, is the latest instance of Trump using his clemency power to settle grievances over what he calls the political weaponization of the justice system. Trump, in notifying the Chrisleys' daughter, Savannah, called their treatment "pretty harsh," as shown in a video clip of their call posted to social media by one of the president's special assistants, Margo Martin.

"Your parents are going to be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow," Trump tells Savannah Chrisley, adding, "I don't know them, but give them my regards and wish them a good life."

Savannah Chrisley can be heard saying, "Thank you so much, Mr. President."

The Chrisleys soared to fame about a decade ago in the USA Network hit Chrisley Knows Best as self-made, God-fearing real estate moguls who lived in a 30,000-square-foot mansion outside Atlanta. But according to prosecutors, their empire was "based on the lie that their wealth came from dedication and hard work," and they were "career swindlers who have made a living by jumping from one fraud scheme to another, lying to banks, stiffing vendors and evading taxes at every corner."

A jury in 2022 found the couple guilty of eight counts of financial fraud and two counts of tax evasion, while Julie Chrisley was convicted of additional counts of wire fraud and obstruction of justice. Todd Chrisley received a 12-year prison sentence, and Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years.

According to the Justice Department, the Chrisleys conspired with a former business partner to defraud banks around Atlanta into giving them more than $36 million in personal loans. They submitted false bank statements, audit reports and personal financial statements to obtain the loans, the Justice Department said, and spent the money on luxury cars, real estate and clothing, while also using new fraudulent loans to repay older ones. After spending all the money, the Justice Department said, Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy.

Then, after earning millions of dollars from their show, the Chrisleys, along with their accountant, Peter Tarantino, defrauded the IRS, prosecutors said. To avoid paying about $500,000 in back taxes that Todd Chrisley owed, the couple opened corporate bank accounts in Julie Chrisley's name, then transferred ownership of an account to a family member to hide their income from the IRS, prosecutors said.

Last year, an appeals court upheld the convictions of Todd Chrisley and Tarantino but vacated the sentence of Julie Chrisley, finding that the sentencing judge held her accountable for the entirety of the bank fraud plot without specific evidence showing that she was involved in the first year of the scheme, 2006.

In pursuing clemency for the Chrisleys, their lawyer Alex Little prepared binders with court documents and testimonials to present to White House and Justice Department officials.

Little wrote that their conviction "exemplifies the weaponization of justice against conservatives and public figures, eroding basic constitutional protections." His summary connected the prosecutors in the Chrisleys' case to Fani Willis, the Georgia state prosecutor who brought an election interference case against Trump in 2023.

Savannah Chrisley, a supporter of Trump, said in a speech at the Republican National Convention last July that her parents were "persecuted by rogue prosecutors" because of their public profile and conservative beliefs.

In the post announcing the pardon, Trump's assistant alluded playfully to the title of the Chrisleys' show. "Trump Knows Best!" she wrote.