October DealsAmazon USOctober deal check: compare before you payAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.Check DealsPC HealthRecommendedCrashes, freezes, slowdowns? Check your PC nowSpot repairable issues before they interrupt work.Check PCOctober DealsAmazon USDeal season is back - check today's better picksAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.See Picks×
Skip to content
The Finance Base
Federal fraud trial

Todd and Julie Chrisley’s Federal Fraud Case: Trial, Appeal, Pardons and Lawsuit

The Chrisleys were convicted in 2022, received prison sentences, won a limited sentencing remand on appeal, were pardoned in 2025 and sued former counsel in 2026.

By TheFinanceBase Team 3 min read
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

A federal jury convicted Todd and Julie Chrisley in 2022 of bank-fraud and tax offenses. Todd was sentenced to 12 years in prison and Julie to seven. The Eleventh Circuit later upheld their convictions but ordered a limited resentencing proceeding for Julie; President Donald Trump pardoned both in 2025, according to the Associated Press. In 2026, the couple filed a separate civil lawsuit against their former defense lawyers, whose attorney said it would be vigorously defended.

What did the jury convict Todd and Julie Chrisley of?

On June 7, 2022, a federal jury in the Northern District of Georgia convicted Todd and Julie Chrisley after a three-week trial. The verdict included conspiracy to defraud community banks and tax crimes, including conspiracy to defraud the IRS and tax evasion. Julie was also convicted of wire fraud and obstruction of justice. Accountant Peter Tarantino was convicted of tax crimes, including filing two false corporate returns for the Chrisleys’ loan-out company. These are the jury’s findings as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia in its June 7, 2022 verdict release.

What was the government’s case?

Loans from community banks

Prosecutors said the Chrisleys and a former business partner used false bank statements, audit reports and personal financial statements to obtain loans from Atlanta-area community banks. The government’s June 2022 verdict announcement described loans exceeding $30 million. A later DOJ sentencing release described more than $36 million; those figures come from different releases and should not be treated as a single, precisely reconciled total. Prosecutors said the proceeds paid for luxury cars, designer clothing, real estate and travel, and that new loans were used to repay earlier ones. The government also said Todd later filed for bankruptcy and walked away from more than $20 million in loans. These are summaries of the prosecution’s account, not additional jury findings about every detail of the alleged conduct.

Tax offenses and obstruction

According to the government’s account, the couple and Tarantino used a loan-out company that received entertainment income, while accounts were maintained in Julie’s name to hinder collection of Todd’s delinquent taxes. DOJ said the couple failed to file returns or pay taxes for 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The prosecution also described Julie’s obstruction count as involving a document submitted in response to a grand jury subpoena.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

What sentences did they receive?

On November 21, 2022, the district court sentenced Todd to 12 years and Julie to seven years in federal prison. The Eleventh Circuit later recorded those terms as 144 months for Todd and 84 months for Julie. The court also ordered the Chrisleys jointly and severally to pay $17,270,741.57 in restitution and the same amount in forfeiture. The exact amounts appear in the appellate court’s account of the judgment; DOJ’s initial sentencing release had said restitution would be determined later.

What did the appeals court decide?

On June 21, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court on the issues the Chrisleys challenged, except for Julie’s loss calculation. The court said the district court had not identified the evidence supporting its decision to hold her responsible for losses before 2007. It vacated Julie’s sentence and sent the matter back for the required loss, restitution and forfeiture calculations and resentencing.

Rank #2
Sale
The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness
  • Ideal for Gifting
  • Ideal for a bookworm
  • Compact for travelling

The remand was limited: the appellate decision did not overturn either Chrisley’s conviction. Its ruling is available in United States v. Tarantino, decided June 21, 2024.

Were Todd and Julie Chrisley pardoned?

Yes. The Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump pardoned both Todd and Julie in May 2025 and that they were released. The Department of Justice’s official pardon record documents Todd’s individual grant, describing it as a “FULL AND UNCONDITIONAL PARDON” for the offenses enumerated in United States v. Chrisley, 1:19-cr-297, and directing the Bureau of Prisons to release him.

What’s actually slowing this PC down?

Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

A pardon is a grant of clemency, not an appellate ruling that reverses a conviction. The pardon record is for Todd; the AP report is the cited source for the account that both spouses received pardons and were released.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

What is the 2026 lawsuit against their former lawyers?

In June 2026, the Associated Press reported that the Chrisleys sued former defense attorney Chris Anulewicz and law firm Balch & Bingham for alleged legal malpractice. Their complaint alleges failures in the criminal defense and seeks more than $25 million in compensatory damages. That amount is what the plaintiffs seek, not an award or a finding that the allegations are true. The attorney for Anulewicz and the firm, Patrick T. O’Connor, said the case “will be vigorously defended.”

This is a separate civil case, not a new criminal verdict or a reversal of the convictions. The AP report establishes that the complaint was filed and describes the parties’ positions; it does not establish the truth of the malpractice allegations.

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 1
SaleBestseller No. 2
The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness
The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness
Ideal for Gifting; Ideal for a bookworm; Compact for travelling
$10.99
SaleBestseller No. 5
I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. Just a 6-Week Program That Works (Second Edition)
I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. Just a 6-Week Program That Works (Second Edition)
It can be a gift option; Comes with secure packaging; Helpful in various ways
$9.15
Best Value
Sale
I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. Just a 6-Week Program That Works (Second Edition)
  • It can be a gift option
  • Comes with secure packaging
  • Helpful in various ways

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

More from the Money Desk

Recommended PC Tool
Recommended PC Tool
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They SpreadFree repair scan
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?Free driver scan

Two free Windows tools

One Free Minute Could Fix That PC

Before you go - each of these free tools takes about a minute and tackles what quietly slows a Windows PC down.

Special offer. View Outbyte info, uninstall instructions, EULA, and Privacy Policy.