ATLANTA — The federal government is going hard after reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, accusing them of defrauding millions from banks using falsified documents and then actively evading taxes.
“They make up documents and live like they can seek and get whatever they want, when they want,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalese Peters said Tuesday during opening statements of the government’s jury trial against the “Chrisley Knows Best” stars. The two face charges involving alleged bank fraud and tax evasion. The trial, held at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in downtown Atlanta, is expected to last several weeks.
Peters alleged the Chrisleys “swindled” at least $30 million from community banks by inflating their net worth to get loans, purposely targeting smaller banks that did less due diligence than larger ones. Then Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy in 2012, erasing $20 million in loan debt. Peters alleged they then actively hid millions they made from the reality show, which began in 2014, as well as $500,000 in taxes Todd owed in 2009.
