Todd Chrisley, Reality TV Star, Guilty on All Counts

ATLANTA, Ga. – A federal jury has found Todd Chrisley, a reality TV star, guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million of fraudulent loans, along with his wife Julie Chrisley and their accountant, Peter Tarantino. The jury also convicted Todd and Julie Chrisley of a number of tax crimes, including conspiring to defraud the IRS.

The Chrisleys were found guilty of tax evasion, and 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 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 K. Buchanan.

According to the evidence presented in court, before Todd and Julie Chrisley became reality television stars, they conspired to defraud community banks in the Atlanta area to obtain more than $30 million in personal loans. The Chrisleys, with the help of their former business partner, submitted false bank statements, audit reports, and personal financial statements to banks to obtain the millions of dollars in fraudulent loans.

The Chrisleys then spent the money on luxury cars, designer clothes, real estate, and travel—and 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 showed that in 2014, while Todd Chrisley was in bankruptcy proceedings, Julie Chrisley again manufactured financial documents and lied to real estate agents to obtain a luxury rental house in Los Angeles, California. As soon as the Chrisleys began renting the house, they failed to pay rent, and the homeowner filed an eviction lawsuit.

Todd Chrisley, 54, Reality TV Star, and his wife Julie Chrisley, 49, were found guilty of the following charges:

Conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million of fraudulent loans

Conspiring to defraud the IRS

Tax evasion

Wire fraud

Obstruction of justice

Peter Tarantino, 58, Certified Public Accountant, was found guilty of:

Filing two false corporate tax returns on behalf of the Chrisleys’ company

Todd Chrisley is set to face sentencing on [insert date] in Atlanta, Georgia.

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