Julie Chrisley and her husband, Todd Chrisley, were each sentenced in 2022 for federal tax crimes.
Julie Chrisley's prison sentence has been thrown out and she will be resentenced.
On Friday, federal appeals judges ordered the courts to throw out her sentence after she was convicted of federal tax evasion and bank fraud charges in 2022 alongside her husband, Todd Chrisley, and their accountant, Peter Tarantino. In documents obtained by ET, a legal error was found in how the trial judge calculated Julie's sentencing as it held her accountable for the entire bank fraud scheme. The appellate panel has sent her case back to the lower court for a resentencing. Todd and Peter's prison sentences will remain upheld.
"But we must vacate Julie's sentence so the district court can address the narrow issue of what the proper loss amount attributable to Julie is for purposes of the base offense level, restitution, and forfeiture," the document states. "The district court should make factual findings about when Julie's involvement in the conspiracy began, and if it concludes Julie's involvement started in 2006, it should identify the evidence on which it bases its finding. In vacating and remanding on this issue, we express no opinion as to what the correct loss amount should be."
After news broke of her resentencing, Alex Little, Todd and Julie's attorney, told ET in a statement, "We're pleased that the Court agreed that Julie's sentence was improper, but we're obviously disappointed that it rejected Todd's appeal. With this step behind us, we can now challenge the couple's convictions based on the illegal search that started the case. The family appreciates the continued support they've received throughout this process. And they're hopeful for more good news in the future."
In August 2019, Todd and Julie were indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, five counts of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of tax fraud. Julie was also charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of obstruction of justice. They were also ordered to pay $17.8 million in restitution
In June 2022, after a three-week trial, Julie and Todd were each found guilty on all counts. The pair was sentenced to a combined 19-years in federal prison. They reported to prison in January 2023. Todd is serving his reduced 10-year prison sentence in Pensacola, Florida, while Julie is serving a reduced five-year sentence in Lexington, Kentucky.
As for Peter, the accountant is serving his sentence at a facility in Montgomery, Alabama, and is to be released August of next year.
Over the weekend, Julie and Todd's daughter, Savannah Chrisley, took to social media to react to her mom's sentencing news, and read the court's decision, noting that it didn't go as the family had hoped, but there was a "little win."
"After careful consideration, and with the benefit of oral argument, we affirm the district court on all issues except for the loss amount attributed to Julie," Savannah recited. "The district court did not identify the evidence it relied on to hold Julie accountable for losses incurred before 2007, and we cannot independently find it in the record. So we vacate Julie’s sentence and remand solely for the district court to make the factual findings and calculations necessary to determine loss, restitution, and forfeiture as to Julie and to resentence her accordingly."
Savannah told her followers, "I hope and pray that the judge can send her home. I am a firm believer that she will be coming home sooner rather than later."
The Chrisley Knows Best star also noted that she is working on getting her father home as well.
Julie, 51, and Todd, 55, had a minor victory in January, as they received $1 million in their 2019 federal lawsuit against Joshua Waites for alleged misconduct in his investigation of them.
In March, Savannah spoke with ET about her plans to spend the summer working on her parents' appeal process and how if her mother makes it out of prison, she's considering taking up a career in law.
"I would if my mom comes home," Savannah, 26, said of legal aspirations. "I have told Grayson that I would do it. So if Mom comes home then obviously it'll be she and Chloe or if Mom and Dad both come home then I would most certainly go back to school and try to become a lawyer. It's never too late to follow your dreams. If I could be a lawyer by the time I'm 30 or 32, I might just do it."
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