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Written by: A. Smith
Published May 28, 2025 @ 9:28 AM ET
ATLANTA, Ga. – President Donald Trump announced on May 27 that he would grant full pardons to reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted in 2022 of multiple financial crimes, including bank fraud and tax evasion.
The couple, best known for their USA Network show “Chrisley Knows Best,” was found guilty by a federal jury in Atlanta of defrauding community banks of more than $30 million using fraudulent documents. Prosecutors said the Chrisleys submitted false bank statements, audit reports, and personal financial statements to secure loans they used for luxury items and to pay off older loans.
In addition to the fraud charges, the couple was convicted of conspiring to evade federal income taxes. Prosecutors said the Chrisleys, along with their accountant Peter Tarantino, opened and maintained corporate bank accounts solely in Julie Chrisley’s name to hide income from the IRS and transferred ownership of accounts to relatives when federal investigators requested information. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the couple failed to file tax returns between 2013 and 2016.
In November 2022, Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, and Julie received a seven-year sentence. Both have appealed their convictions and continue to maintain their innocence. Todd Chrisley began serving his sentence on January 17, 2023, at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in Florida. Julie Chrisley is serving her sentence at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. As of May 2025, they have each spent more than two years behind bars. According to their daughter, Todd and Julie have not spoken to each other since entering prison.
The pardons are expected to be finalized within days. During a call with the couple’s children, Savannah and Grayson Chrisley, Trump said, “Your parents are going to be free and clean and I hope that we can do it by tomorrow.”
“They’ve been given a pretty harsh treatment based on what I’m hearing,” Trump added. “I hear they’re terrific people, this should not have happened.”
“Mr. President, I just want to say thank you for bringing my parents back,” Grayson Chrisley told Trump during the call, which was shared on social media by Margo Martin, a special assistant to the president and communications adviser.
Savannah Chrisley, who was left as the primary caregiver for her younger brother, niece, and grandmother, has been advocating for her parents’ release and filed a formal pardon petition. She alleged the convictions stemmed from an illegal raid, compromised evidence, and false testimony. The petition also highlighted the couple’s behavior while incarcerated. Julie Chrisley earned 43 educational certificates, and Todd worked to improve conditions in federal prisons. According to their attorneys, Todd’s efforts even contributed to the closure of a dangerous federal facility.
“This pardon corrects a deep injustice and restores two devoted parents to their family and community,” said Alex Little, a partner at Litson PLLC. “President Trump recognized what we’ve argued from the beginning: Todd and Julie were targeted because of their conservative values and high profile. Their prosecution was tainted by multiple constitutional violations and political bias.”
“Todd and Julie’s case is exactly why the pardon power exists: to correct misguided prosecutions and reaffirm basic constitutional protections,” Little added. “Thanks to President Trump, the Chrisley family can now begin healing and rebuilding their lives.”
Savannah, who has remained in the public eye as a prison reform advocate, spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention and publicly thanked Trump for “standing up against political prosecutions and fighting for families like hers.”
“I’ll never forget what the prosecutors said in the most heavily Democratic county in the state, before an Obama-appointed judge. He called us the ‘Trumps of the South,’” she said during her speech. “He meant it as an insult but let me tell you, boy, do I wear it as a badge of honor.”
Following news of the pardon, Savannah posted a video on Instagram wearing a white and gold “Make America Great Again” hat, expressing disbelief and gratitude.
“We are freaking out over here. I have shed so many tears,” she said. “The president called me personally as I was walking into Sam’s Club and notified me that he was signing pardon paperwork for both of my parents. Both my parents are coming home … I still don’t believe it’s real and I am freaking out.”
She added, “We’re getting some clothes together for mom and dad, getting their room put together upstairs, and I’m just speechless. My parents get to start their lives over.”
Savannah said she would continue to advocate for others behind bars and thanked Trump again: “Thank God for President Trump.”