The couple’s lawyer called the settlement an “encouraging sign” as the pair’s appeal against their criminal convictions will be heard in court in April
Todd and Julie Chrisley scored a legal victory amid their ongoing prison sentences for their involvement in a multimillion-dollar bank fraud and tax evasion scheme.
On Tuesday, an attorney for the couple announced they will receive a $1 million settlement from the state of Georgia to settle their 2019 federal lawsuit against Joshua Waites, the former director of special investigations for the state Department of Revenue.
“We have said 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.”
Todd and Julie Chrisley. Kevin Mazur/ACMA2017/Getty Savannah Chrisley says dad Todd could move prisons after facing ‘retaliation’ for speaking out about living conditions
The statement continued, “It is almost unprecedented for one branch of government to pay out money to defendants while the other arm fights to keep them in prison.”
After being acquitted of state tax evasion charges in Georgia, Todd and Julie filed legal action in October 2019 against the Waites for “specifically targeting” the famous family in their state tax evasion allegation.
According to the lawsuit, obtained by PEOPLE, the reality stars’ former attorney Michael J. Bowers said Waites’ initial allegations against Todd, 54, and Julie, 51, were “a shocking example of how out of control a public official can abuse his position and violate rights of innocent citizens for reasons that have more to do with securing publicity and money for his position than law enforcement.”
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Todd and Lindsie Chrisley. Rick Diamond/Getty Images
The lawsuit alleges that several years ago, Waites “began to focus his efforts and desire” on the Chrisley family, specifically Todd, as well as his estranged daughter, Lindsie.
The Chrisleys accused Waites of targeting Lindis, 34, in an attempt to get information from her about the family. When he couldn’t get the information he wanted from her, Waites allegedly shared Chrisley’s confidential tax information with Lindsie, the lawsuit alleges.
“Ultimately, Waites’ efforts failed, but in the process the Chrisleys were forced to suffer significant personal and financial hardship,” Bowers said in the lawsuit.
Savannah Chrisley admits she felt ‘waves’ of ‘anxiety, sadness’ and ‘happiness’ before seeing her parents in prison
Despite being cleared in a state tax evasion case, the Chrisleys were indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2019 on 12 counts of wire and wire fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy, all of which they have denied.
The reality stars began their prison terms on January 17, 2023. Todd will be released on January 22, 2033 from the federal penitentiary in Pensacola. As for Julie, she will be released from the Lexington Federal Medical Center in Kentucky on October 19, 2028. Their original sentences, which were 12 and seven years respectively, were reduced in September 2023.
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Lawyers for the couple said an appeal of their convictions will be heard by a federal appeals court in Atlanta in April.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education