Trump pardons reality show couple convicted of bank fraud and tax crimes

By Kevin Liptak and Kaitlan Collins, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump has signed full pardons for imprisoned reality show couple Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were sentenced to lengthy prison terms in 2022 for a conspiracy to defraud banks out of more than $30 million, according to a White House official.
In addition to the bank fraud convictions, they were also found guilty of several tax crimes, including attempting to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
In a post on X Tuesday, Trump’s adviser Margo Martin posted a video of Trump phoning Savannah Chrisley, the couple’s daughter, informing her of the plans for pardons.
“It’s a terrible thing. But it’s a great thing because your parents are going to be free and clean, and hopefully we can do it by tomorrow,” Trump said.
“I don’t know them, but give them our regards,” he continued. Alice Johnson, who Trump pardoned during his first term and is now acting as his “pardon czar,” joined the president in the Oval Office for the phone call.
“The President is always pleased to give well-deserving Americans a second chance, especially those who have been unfairly targeted and overly prosecuted by an unjust justice system. President Trump called Savannah and her brother from the Oval Office to personally inform them that he would be pardoning their parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, whose sentences were far too harsh,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement.
Savannah Chrisley spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July. Chrisley also helped campaign for Trump as part of “Team Trump’s Women Tour.” She recently appeared on Lara Trump’s Fox News program to discuss her parents’ plight.
Todd Chrisley is serving 12 years at a Federal Prison Camp in Florida, and Julie Chrisley is serving her seven-year sentence at a Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Chrisleys, known for their reality program “Chrisley Knows Best,” were found guilty in June 2022. Both of them have maintained their innocence and were appealing their criminal convictions.
Scott Taylor, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, told CNN in a statement that the “release process could be immediate or may take up to a couple of days depending on the type of pardon and the necessary travel arrangements needed to get the individual from the facility to their release residence, including the purchase of bus or plane tickets.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Kristen Holmes and Shania Shelton contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.