Todd Chrisley Disputes Claims That He & Wife Julie Were Convicted By a Jury of Their Peers
In one of his first post-prison interviews, Todd Chrisley took aim at the jurors who convicted he and wife Julie of tax evasion and fraud crimes in 2022, arguing that he and Julie were not found guilty by “a jury of their peers,” as there were no multi-millionaires or celebrities on the jury.
As The Ashley previously reported, Todd and Julie were sentenced to federal prison in June 2022 for 12 and seven years, respectively, but were released last month after receiving a full pardon by President Donald Trump.
The couple, joined by their daughter Savannah Chrisley– who spent the last couple of years campaigning for her parents’ release– sat down for special IMPACT x Nightline episode, The Chrisley’s: Life After Lockup, which aired on Sunday. During the interview, reporter Juju Chang noted that Todd and Julie were convicted by “a jury of your peers,” many of whom take issue with the fact that the two “didn’t serve their time.” In response to Juju’s statement, Todd argued that the people who convicted he and his wife were not the couple’s peers.
“Convicted by a jury of our peers? Were we?” Todd asked. “I didn’t see multi-millionaires in that jury box, I didn’t see people that were in the film industry in that jury box.
“I saw people in a heavily Democratic county, and a judge allowed them to paint us as this white family who has white entitlement and who has money to burn,” he continued.
Todd went on in the interview to double down on his claims that he and Julie were wrongfully convicted of their crimes.
“I don’t really look at redemption because I know that what we were convicted of, we didn’t do,” he insisted. “So I’m not trying to redeem anything.”
Instead, Todd said he and his family are focused on “trying to prove what happened,” getting the truth out and “exposing” those who were involved. (While the couple maintain their innocence, it was noted during the interview that Todd and Julie had paid some of the $17 million in restitution they owed; however, now that they’ve received a full pardon, they will try to get that money back.)
Todd and Julie also spoke about some of the activities they participated in while behind bars, with Julie revealing that she drove a forklift and spent a lot of her free time reading.
“I stayed busy every day, I was going to keep my mind active, my body active, because I knew I was getting out at some point,” she said.
As for Todd, he stuck to a routine behind bars that consisted of working out, checking emails, calling Savannah and reading more than a 100 books. Unlike Julie, however, he said he opted out of activities that required physical labor.
“[Julie’s] always been different than me,” Todd explained. “I mean, like, you put me in federal prison, I’m not working for you. I’m not giving you no free labor, I’m not doing any of that.
“I’m here to do time, not your chores,” he added.
As The Ashley previously told you, Todd was reportedly dismissed in October 2024 from his administrative job at the chapel inside FPC Pensacola– where the former Chrisley Knows Best star was serving his sentence– for allegedly speaking to certain inmates. Savannah had also revealed in October 2023 that her dad had been teaching a variety of classes while behind bars, including a course on finance. (No…seriously.)
‘The Chrisley’s: Life After Lockup’ episode is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
Watch a clip of the interview below.
