Prosecutors said: “The Chrisley family built an empire on the lie that their wealth came from dedication and hard work. “The unanimous jury verdict sets a clear record: Todd and Julie Chrisley are professional fraudsters who made their living jumping from one scam scheme to another, lying to the bank, supplier fraud and tax evasion around every corner.”
With the help of a former business partner, Chrisleys used fake bank statements, audit reports, and personal financial statements to defraud Atlanta-area banks, according to the Justice Department. received more than $36 million in personal loans. The couple used that money to buy luxury cars, real estate and other lavish goods. After they spent all the money, Chrisley filed for bankruptcy, the Justice Department said.
Then, after making millions of dollars from their reality TV show, the couple conspired to defraud the Internal Revenue Service with the help of their accountant, 60-year-old Peter Tarantino, companies. prosecutor said. To avoid paying about $500,000 in overdue taxes owed by Chrisley, the couple opened a corporate bank account in Chrisley’s name, according to the Justice Department. But when the IRS requested information about accounts in Chrisley’s name, the couple exchanged ownership of their corporate bank account with another family member to hide their income from the IRS. , the Justice Department said.
(Later, after learning of the grand jury investigation, Ms. Chrisley filed a forged document with a grand jury subpoena to make it appear that the couple was not lying to the bank when they transfer ownership of company accounts to relatives, the Justice Department said.)
The couple failed to file or pay taxes in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and as part of the scheme, Mr. Tarantino submitted two corporate tax returns to the loan company that falsely claimed it did not. earned money or made distributions in 2015 and 2016, according to the Department of Justice.
In connection with the sentencing of Chrisleys on Monday, Judge Ross sentenced Mr. Tarantino to three years in prison and three years of probation; he was convicted in June of making false corporate tax returns for Chrisley’s company.
Ryan K. Buchanan, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said in a statement that the length of the Chrisleys’ convictions reflects “the seriousness of their criminal scheme,” adding that they “should serve as a warning to others tempted to exploit our nation’s community banking system for illicit personal gain.”
