Todd and Julie Chrisley have won a legal victory after being awarded a $1 million settlement following a tax evasion investigation against the two reality TV stars.
An attorney for the Chrisleys — who both remain behind bars after being convicted for fraud and tax evasion in 2022 — announced Tuesday that the state of Georgia paid the stars of “Chrisley Knows Best” the million dollar settlement, People magazine reported.
It resolves their federal lawsuit filed in 2019 against Joshua Waites, the former Director of Special Investigations of the state’s Department of Revenue. The Chrisleys filed a lawsuit against Waites for “specifically targeting” their family after being cleared of a state tax evasion charge in GA, the outlet noted.
“We have been saying for months that the criminal case against the Chrisleys was highly unusual and had real problems,” the family’s attorney, Alex Little of Burr & Forman LLP, said in a statement. “This settlement is an encouraging sign.”
“It’s nearly unprecedented for one arm of the government to pay money to defendants when another arm is fighting to keep them in jail,” the statement added.
‘This Should Scare All of You’: Todd and Julie Chrisley’s Daughter Savannah Claims Jailed Parents’ $1 Million Settlement Award Is Proof of Corruption https://t.co/tQWgUCCD31 Click the image for details:
— Radar Online (@radar_online) January 10, 2024
However, despite being cleared in Georgia the reality pair did end up being indicted in August 2019. In June 2022, the pair were convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. In addition, Julie was also convicted on a charge of wire fraud and obstruction of justice. They have denied the charges.
The couple was sentenced in November 2022 to a total of 19 years behind bars after they were convicted for their multimillion-dollar bank fraud and tax evasion scheme, People noted. Both were also ordered to serve an additional 16 months of probation following their releases.
The Chrisleys reported in Jan. 2023 to begin their individual sentences. Later in the year, a judge reduced Todd’s 12-year sentence by two years and reduced Julie’s 7-year sentence by 14 months, as previously reported.
The Chrisleys’ attorney will be back in court in April to deal with an appeal of their criminal convictions, which will take place in Atlanta.
Related: Reality TV Stars Todd And Julie Chrisley React To Divorce Rumors While In Prison