When the Chrisley family burst onto the truth TV scene in 2014 with USA Network’s “Chrisley Knows Best”, they were the southern blonde answer to the Kardashians: wealthy and extremely tight with a bit of a “cheers” attitude.
in early promotion of this system, Todd Chrisley, the flamboyant, controlling but endearing patriarch, bragged concerning the money he allegedly produced from real estate. He quickly noticed that his family – his wife Julie and their three children, Chase – Savanna and Grayson, now 26, 25, and 16 respectively, and Todd’s children from a previous marriage, Lindsie, now 33, and Kyle, 31, lived in a gated community outside of Atlanta. Chrisley boasted that they were neighbors of former Braves great Chipper Jones and singer Usher, and the family spent a cool $300,000 a 12 months on clothes alone.
![The Chrisley family poses for a portrait during the first season. (Pictured from left to right) Savannah Chrisley, Lindsie Chrisley Campbell, Julie Chrisley, Todd Chrisley, Kyle Chrisley, Chase Chrisley, Grayson Chrisley](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/todd-julie-chrisley-family-2014-2.jpg?w=1024)
“I attempt to keep every little thing neat and tidy. I even have a certain level of expectations for my children, my wife, myself,” Chrisley, now 53, said within the ad.
However the family’s wealthy façade fell apart last spring while Todd and Julie were there was found guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion in a sensational trial. Now the top of the series: on Tuesday, Todd and Julie will report back to prison, where he was sentenced to 12 years and she to seven.
“The Chrisleys have built an empire based on the lie that their wealth comes from dedication and exertions,” prosecutors wrote in a November 16 sentencing memorandum.
“The jury’s unanimous verdict clears things up: Todd and Julie Chrisley are skilled con artists who make their living jumping from one scam to a different, lying to banks, ripping salespeople and dodging taxes at every turn.”
![Todd and Julie Chrisley leave Atlanta Federal Court in August 2022.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/todd-julie-chrisley-court-2.jpg?w=1024)
The couple had humble, healthy beginnings. They each hail from rural Westminster, South Carolina, a once thriving textile town with a population of roughly 2,363 in 2021.
Their financial troubles date back years before they even had a reality show. In 2012, Chrisley filed for Chapter 7 listing $4.2 million in assets and $49.4 million in debt. On the time, he claimed to have only $55 in a checking account and $100 in money.
“He guaranteed a loan for real estate development and it failed,” his attorney Robert Furr explained to People in 2014. “He was on the hook for $30 million. Otherwise, he could be fantastic financially.
Such financial problems didn’t stop the family from being a reality star. By late 2016, Chrisley’s show was in its fourth season and the clan’s profile was increasing – a lot in order that security concerns prompted them to relocate to Nashville.
![Todd and Julie Chrisley in 2018.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/todd-julie-chrisley-2.jpg?w=1024)
There, they bought two mansions value around $9 million in total and continued to drive flashy cars while their kids became podcasters and Instagram influencers with tens of millions of followers.
Within the midst of his success, Chrisley offered to donate money in 2016 and construct an aquatics center in his home town of Westminster on one condition: it needed to be named after his late father Gene Chrisley.
But what looked like a generous gesture from a hometown boy quickly become a nasty conflict that divided the neighborhood and showcased Todd’s amazing ability to fire up drama even when the cameras weren’t rolling.
“Most doubted whether the offer was sincere, but [town] the council has remained open to learn more,” former city administrator Chris Carter told The Post.
![The Chrisley family in season 8 promotion.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/todd-julie-chrisley-family-2020.jpg?w=1024)
When the project got here to a halt, Todd went on Facebook blowing up opponents, some of whom were private residents of Westminster. He boasted about his show’s rankings and displayed their Facebook profiles on the screen, urging his followers to confront them online.
“Facebook has brought out trolls who’ve been posting quite negative things concerning the city as a consequence of town’s perceived reluctance to take Chrisley [up] on offer. I understand quite a bit of them didn’t even live within the Westminster area – I’m assuming they’re fans of the show,” Carter said.
He added that Todd then created a further condition for his donation: town council, with the exception of one woman, would resign.
![Todd and Julie Chrisley purchased this 6-bedroom, 10-bath home in 2019 for $3.37 million.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/chrisley-second-nashville-house.jpg?w=1024)
“Most individuals felt like they were in town they played in, and it turned out they did. Other than the show drama, nothing specific was discussed. All this to finish animosities and divisions,” continued Carter.
Ultimately, no money was donated and no swimming pool was built. Several locals said the saga reported within the local press was just one other chapter within the seemingly fabulous life of the self-proclaimed tycoon.
“He’s all hat and no cattle,” one local joked. (Chrisley didn’t reply to a request for comment on the matter.)
Meanwhile, the family’s personal dramas made good television.
![In 2015, Todd Chrisley posed behind bars as a joke.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/todd-chrisley.jpg?w=1024)
While it often focused on light-hearted family conflicts similar to sibling rivalries, Savannah pageants and domestic pranks, “Chrisley Knows Best” was not averse to serious issues. Kyle struggled with drug addiction and mental health to the purpose that Todd and Julie legally adopted his daughter Chloe, now 10, when she was a toddler.
In 2019, Savannah and Chase launched their very own spinoff “Growing Up Chrisley”. This might last for 4 seasons – until Todd and Julie were convicted, at which point each he and “Chrisley Knows Best” were suddenly canceled.
The trial also undermined Todd’s repute as a faithful family man. his ex business partner Mark Braddock testified that he and Todd were intimate for a few 12 months within the early 2000s.
Chrisley denied these reports.
![Todd Chrisley and his family in happier times.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/todd-julie-chrisley-family-2014.jpg?w=1024)
“The thing that offended me essentially the most was that out of all those 54 years, if I used to be finally accused of being with a person, it could be someone who looked like Mark Braddock,” Todd said in a recent episode of his podcast “Chrisley’s Confessions“. He added that Braddock resembled “a toad”.
The Chrisleys are only the newest reality TV stars facing federal charges. In 2014, Real Housewives of Latest Jersey stars Teresa and Joe Giudice pleaded guilty to several charges, including bankruptcy fraud, conspiracy to commit each mail fraud and non-payment of taxes.
Earlier this month, Jen Shah, star of “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” was sentenced to 6 and a half years in prison for running a years-long telemarketing scam targeting older Americans.
However the Chrisleys maintain their innocence.
“As a family, we remain united and stand firm in our positions and our faith. We don’t resign our faith,” the patriarch said in a podcast. “Now listen. Are we disenchanted? Are we hurt? Yes, but we all know God has a purpose for every little thing.”