US President Donald Trump has announced that he plans to grant a pardon to reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were found guilty of tax evasion and bank fraud and sentenced to serve several years in prison.
“It’s a terrible thing, but it’s a great thing because your parents are going to be free and clean,” Trump said on a phone call with the couple’s daughter, Savannah Chrisley.
“I hope we can do it by tomorrow,” he added, according to a video posted on X by special assistant to the president and communications advisor Margo Martin.
“I don’t know them, but give them my regards,” Trump said.
Since his return to the White House, President Donald Trump has issued several controversial pardons, including those for individuals convicted of white-collar crimes.
Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of the reality show Chrisley Knows Best, were convicted in 2022 for conspiring to defraud banks in the Atlanta area, obtaining over $36 million in personal loans, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
They also “conspired to defraud the Internal Revenue Service,” per the attorney’s office.
Todd Chrisley received a 12-year prison sentence, while Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years.
“The President is always pleased to give well-deserving Americans a second chance, especially those who have been unfairly targeted and overly prosecuted by an unjust justice system,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields said late Tuesday in a statement about the pardon to NBC News.
Savannah Chrisley, also a reality TV star, has been actively seeking a pardon for her parents, telling PEOPLE in February that she was “going through the proper channels.”
She also spoke out at last year’s Republican National Convention, criticizing the prosecutors behind her parents’ case.
An attorney for Todd and Julie Chrisley said Tuesday night that his clients “will soon be released from prison” following Trump’s pardon.
“This pardon corrects a deep injustice and restores two devoted parents to their family and community,” Alex Little, a partner at Litson PLLC, said.
