Chrisley Knows Best alum Julie Chrisley may be released from prison sooner than expected after an appeals court overturned her sentence and ordered a new hearing for the reality star.
On Friday, June 21, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the bank fraud convictions of Julie, Chrisley Knows Best co-star Todd Chrisley, Julie’s husband, and Peter Tarantino, the couple’s accountant. However, the judges found insufficient evidence to support Julie’s involvement in the scheme that began in 2006, according to a report by People.
“The problem is that we have not located the evidence the district court relied on in adopting that finding,” the judges wrote, as cited by People. “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.”
The judges have also instructed a lower court to conduct a resentencing.
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Alex Little, an attorney for Todd and Julie, stated to People that they are “pleased that the Court agreed that Julie’s sentence was improper.” However, Little expressed disappointment that Todd’s appeal was rejected. He mentioned that they would now challenge the couple’s convictions based on an illegal search that initiated the case.
Daughter Savannah Chrisley referred to the ruling as “a little win” for the family in an Instagram reel.
In June 2022, Todd and Julie were found guilty by a jury of conspiring to defraud banks of over $30 million in fraudulent loans, as well as tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the IRS. Julie was also convicted of wire fraud and obstruction of justice, as reported by The Associated Press at the time.
In November, Todd received a 12-year prison sentence and 16 months of probation, while Julie was sentenced to seven years in prison and 16 months of probation, according to People. In September 2023, it was reported that Todd’s sentence was reduced by almost two years and Julie’s by 14 months.
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