Todd and Julie Chrisley appeal tax fraud convictions more than one year into prison sentences
Todd and Julie Chrisley's attorney argued on behalf of the incarcerated couple during a hearing at the federal appeals court in Atlanta on Friday.
The "Chrisley Knows Best" stars were sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison in November 2022 after a jury found the couple guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans, in addition to conspiring to defraud the IRS.
Todd and Julie's lawyer, Alex Little, claimed that misconduct had been involved in the case and that prosecutors had "worked in concert with the witness," according to People magazine.
"First, the issue that was discussed that came out in the redirect and then the re-cross of Officer Betty Carter was whether the Chrisleys had paid taxes in the post-conspiracy period," Little said to the court.
TODD, JULIE CHRISLEY'S DAUGHTER ACCUSES PRISON OF ‘PADLOCKING’ SUPPLIES AS COUPLE GETS REDUCED TIME
"Now, the district court below confirmed that that would have a potential prejudicial effect on the defendants leading the jury to believe that they had not paid their taxes, that they weren't interested in paying taxes, that they were untruth type of person who could commit fraud charged in the other acts. That effect spills over not just to the tax charges but to all of the fraud charges in this case."
Neither Todd nor Julie were present for the hearing at the Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals Building in Atlanta.
During the Chrisley trial two years ago, prosecutors alleged that the Chrisleys had submitted fake documents to banks when applying for loans. In addition, they claimed that Julie also had submitted a false credit report and fake bank statements when trying to rent a house in California.
Little claimed that his clients had "paid everything before trial" when it came to taxes owed, and added that "the government doesn't argue that they hadn't paid."
Annalise Peters, a representative of the United States Attorneys' Office, claimed that the evidence was "overwhelming at trial" that the Chrisleys had "conspired to evade the IRS."
"So yes, if there are credible allegations and some evidence proffered about any sort of government misconduct, a hearing should be had. That's simply not what we have in this case," she said.
When it came to the Chrisleys former accountant, Peter Tarantino, who was sentenced to three years in prison for willfully filing false tax returns, Peters argued that Little had not shown any "actual compelling prejudice that results from this."
Tarantino's lawyer, Don Samuel, claimed that his client had not been "complicit in the crime committed" by the Chrisleys, and that Tarantino "didn't have a duty to ensure that all taxes were paid."
Following the hearing, Todd and Julie's daughter Savannah spoke to reporters outside the courthouse and told reporters that she had spoken with her parents the night before, and that they are "doing as best they can."
"We have all come together, and we are closer than ever," she said, according to The Associated Press.
Todd was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison, but he had two years removed from his sentence. Julie was given a seven-year prison sentence after initially being indicted in August 2019 on bank fraud and tax evasion charges. Her sentence was reduced by 14 months in September 2023.
They will each have to complete 16 months of probation following the end of their prison sentences.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Julie Chrisley's convictions included conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States. She was also hit with wire fraud and obstruction-of-justice charges. She reported to the satellite minimum security camp at the BOP facility in Lexington, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Todd Chrisley was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States. He checked into the minimum security facility, Federal Prison Camp Pensacola.
The Chrisleys did see a minor court victory in 2019 when the Georgia Department of Revenue cleared the couple of a $2 million state tax evasion charge stemming from a two-year investigation from nearly eight years of returns beginning in 2008.
The Department of Revenue dropped its claim that the couple owed more than $2.1 million in unpaid state taxes, penalties and interest, and updated the total outstanding debt to under $110,000.