Todd and Julie Chrisley Demand New Trial After Tax Evasion Convictions!

Todd and Julie Chrisley are requesting a new trial only weeks before their scheduled sentencing. The Chrisley Knows Best couple accused federal prosecutors of presenting “false testimony” to the jury and are asking a judge to toss their criminal conviction, according to court documents obtained by Radar Online. 

In June, Todd was found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and tax evasion. Julie was found guilty of the same charges, as well as wire fraud and obstruction of justice. The reality TV couple faces up to 30 years in prison. Todd, 53, and Julie, 49, were indicted in August 2019.

Todd and Julie’s lawyer, Steve Friedberg, confirmed that they planned to appeal the verdict, via a statement to PEOPLE.

“Both Chrisleys are devastated and disappointed with the verdict and will be pursuing an appeal,” he said, in June.  

The couple hopes that their new request will enable them to dodge sentencing and allow a new trial. Todd and Julie alleged that a government called witness, an IRS Revenue Officer named Betty Carter, “lied about the Chrisleys owing taxes for years when she knew no taxes were due.”

“This testimony had the effect of falsely painting the Chrisleys as untruthful, likely to commit other forms of fraud, and evading the tax payments alleged in the indictment,” the couple’s attorney stated.

“When pressed, Officer Carter swore that she had confirmed her claims in the IRS’s internal system the day before her testimony, and those records showed that the Chrisleys owed taxes for at least years 2014, 2015, and 2016. This was all false,” the motion read.

The Chrisleys claimed that Carter contacted their accountant after the trial to admit that the couple had paid their taxes, in full. 

“But the jury never heard the truth,” the couple said. “Instead, the jury was left with the false impression that the Chrisleys continued to avoid paying taxes for these years.”

“This false testimony went directly to the Chrisley’s character for truthfulness  and credibility, corrupting the trial and violating their due process rights.”

The couple’s lawyer also alleged that a Fourth Amendment violation took place.  

The Chrisleys claimed that prosecutors used “substantial volumes of evidence at trial which were obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment.”  

Todd and Julie also accused the government of failing to offer sufficient evidence to back up charges outlined in the indictment, in a separate motion for acquittal. 

The government has yet to respond. 

Earlier this month, Todd admitted it was his love for money and material possessions that led him down this destructive path. He confessed that he allowed his reality TV fame to go to his head during an episode of his podcast, ‘Chrisley Confessions.’

“I got lost when I couldn’t differentiate in my self-worth and my net worth,” he explained. “And the bigger my net worth became, the less I focused on my self-worth because everything was being built around that net worth. Around stuff.”

He added—“You become a slave to the things that you thought were going to bring you peace. So I got lost in that and for my whole life because I think I was too ignorant — and when I use the word ignorant [I mean] I [didn’t] know that I understood how to differentiate self-worth and net worth.” 

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