Todd and Julie Chrisley, the stars of the long-running cable TV series “Chrisley Knows Best,” were found guilty by a federal jury in Atlanta on charges of tax evasion and conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans.
The jury also convicted their accountant, Peter Tarantino, of tax crimes, including conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, according to the Justice Department. The Chrisleys were found guilty Tuesday of tax evasion, while Peter Tarantino was found guilty of filing two false corporate tax returns on behalf of the Chrisleys’ company. The jury also found Julie Chrisley guilty of wire fraud and obstruction of justice.
The Chrisleys and Tarantino were indicted in 2019 on tax evasion charges (
“The jury found that Todd and Julie Chrisley committed multiple fraud schemes for several years and their accountant, Peter Tarantino, filed false corporate tax returns on their behalf,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan in a statement. “This office and our partner agencies will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute white collar criminals who flout the law.”
According to prosecutors, starting around 2007 until about 2012, the couple provided multiple banks with personal financial statements containing false information, and fabricated bank statements when applying for and receiving millions of dollars in loans. After receiving the loans, the Chrisleys are accused of using much of the money for their own personal benefit. They are also accused of physically cutting and pasting or taping together fabricated bank statements and a fabricated credit report in 2014 when applying for and getting a lease for a home in California.
“Todd Chrisley, Julie Chrisley and their certified public accountant, Peter Tarantino, conspired to evade the assessment and payment of the Chrisleys' income taxes,” said James Dorsey, special agent in charge at the IRS’s Criminal Investigation unit, in a statement. “The Chrisleys and Tarantino knew the law was clear on taxable income and who is required to file and pay taxes. These convictions should send a clear message regardless of your fame or notoriety, everyone will be held accountable for paying their fair share of taxes.”
According to prosecutors, before they became reality TV stars, the Chrisleys conspired to defraud community banks in the Atlanta area to get more than $30 million in personal loans. The Chrisleys, with the help of their former business partner, sent false bank statements, audit reports and personal financial statements to banks to get millions of dollars in fraudulent loans. The couple then spent the money on luxury cars, designer clothes, real estate and travel. They also used new fraudulent loans to pay back old ones. After spending all the money, Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy and walked away from more than $20 million of the fraudulently obtained loans.
The evidence further indicated that in 2014, while Todd Chrisley was in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings, his wife again created financial documents and lied to real estate agents to obtain a luxury rental house in Los Angeles. As soon as the couple began renting the home, they failed to pay rent, and the homeowner filed an eviction lawsuit.
Around the time that Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy, the Chrisleys became the stars of their own reality show, which was recorded in Atlanta and later in Nashville. Prosecutors contended that while they were earning millions from their TV show, the Chrisleys, along with their accountant, conspired to defraud the IRS.
While all this was happening, the Chrisleys also operated a loan-out company that received the income they earned from their series and other entertainment ventures. To avoid collection of half a million dollars in delinquent taxes owed by Todd Chrisley, the couple opened and kept the corporate bank accounts only in Julie Chrisley’s name. One day after the IRS asked for information about bank accounts in Julie Chrisley’s name, the couple transferred ownership of the corporate bank account to Todd Chrisley’s mother as a ploy to further conceal his income from the IRS. All that time, Todd Chrisley operated the loan-out company behind the scenes and controlled the company’s purse strings.
While the Chrisleys were earning millions and evading paying Todd Chrisley’s delinquent back taxes, the couple also failed to file tax returns or pay any taxes for 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. At one point, Todd Chrisley claimed on a radio program that he paid $750,000 to $1 million in federal income taxes every year, even though he hadn’t filed or paid his personal income tax returns for years.
"And obviously, the federal government likes my tax returns because I pay $750,000 to a million dollars just about every year, so the federal government doesn't have a problem with my taxes," he told "The Domenick Nati Show," which posted a
Tarantino was also convicted of filing two false corporate tax returns for the loan-out company, which falsely claimed that the company earned no money and made no distributions in 2015 and 2016.
After learning of the grand jury investigation, Julie Chrisley submitted a fraudulent document in response to a grand jury subpoena to make it seem as if the Chrisleys deceived the bank when they transferred ownership of the loan-out company’s bank account to Todd Chrisley’s mother. Prosecutors contended that Julie Chrisley sent the document with the intent of impeding the grand jury’s investigation into her and her husband and avoiding prosecution. She was convicted of obstruction of justice.
Sentencing for the Chrisleys and their accountant has been scheduled for Oct. 6. They face up to 30 years in prison. Despite the publicity from the case, the USA Network recently renewed their show for a tenth season, according to
