Reality star Julie Chrisley scored a minor victory and will be resentenced in bank fraud case.
On Friday, federal judges ruled that her case regarding tax evasion and bank fraud had insufficient evidenceand her seven-year sentence was vacated.
That was the only good news to come Friday.
The three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the convictions of Julie her husband, Todd Chrisley, per People.
Todd Chrisley was sentences to 12 years in prison. The couple’s accountant, Peter Tarantino, was also found guilty.
The judges determined the trial judge miscalculated Julie Chrisley’s sentence in 2022.
She was held responsible for the entire bank fraud scheme, which began in 2006. However, the judges found there was not enough evidence to prove that she was involved before 2007.
“The problem is that we have not located the evidence the district court relied on in adopting that finding,” the judges wrote.
“Our review of the record hasn’t revealed evidence to show, even by a preponderance of the evidence, that [Julie] was involved in 2006. Indeed, the government’s brief concedes that the evidence shows Julie ‘participated in the bank fraud conspiracy from 2007,’ not 2006,” the judges wrote.
Her case will be sent back to a lower court for resentencing and a judge can determine of how much her sentence should vary from the original sentence.
“We’re pleased that the Court agreed that Julie’s sentence was improper, but we’re obviously disappointed that it rejected Todd’s appeal,” the Chrisleys’ attorney Alex Little said in a statement.
“With this step behind us, we can now challenge the couple’s convictions based on the illegal search that started the case,” Little said. “The family appreciates the continued support they’ve received throughout this process. And they’re hopeful for more good news in the future.”
Savannah Chrisley, the couple’s daughter, spoke about the ruling.
“Didn’t necessarily go as we hoped,” she said in the video. “But we do have a little win.”
“What [the ruling] means is that the appeals court could not find any evidence that attributed this $17 million loss amount to my mother. And for that, I am grateful and I hope and pray that the judge can send her home,” she said.
This ruling comes nearly a year after Savannah said her family hired a new legal team to appeal Todd and Julie’s case.
The former stars of USA Network’s “Chrisley Knows Best” were indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2019 on 12 counts of bank and wire fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy.
Prosecutors accused the two and their accountant of evading nearly $2 million in state taxes between 2008 and 2016. Prosecutors also said they used their production company, 7 C Production, to hide more than $1 million dollar’s worth of their reality TV income from the IRS.
Prosecutors also alleged Todd directed an employee to falsify income and asset documents.
In June 2022, the couple and their accountant were found guilty on all counts. Julie was also convicted of wire fraud.
The Chrisleys began their prison sentences in January 2023.
