Chrisley Knows Best stars Todd Chrisley and his wife, Julie turned down the plea deal and opted to go to trial. Speculation about their sentence came even before the trial started. At first, people assumed they would serve about four to five years for tax evasion. However, they ended up with a 19-year concurrent sentence. Certainly, it would be interesting to know what the plea deal offered.
What Were Todd Chrisley & Julie’s Convictions For?
While most people talk about tax crimes, and how harsh the sentences of seven and twelve years were, there were other changes. They included 12 counts of tax evasion, bank and wire fraud, and conspiracy. You might remember that the jury found them guilty on all charges. Perhaps, because of the added fraud-related charges, the plea simply wasn’t attractive enough.
Joe Guidice from Bravo’s Real Housewives also served time in prison and he suggested that Todd Chrisley made a miscalculation when he took the case to trial. From his own experience, he knew that a lesser sentence would result after a plea deal. That way, the kids wouldn’t have been separated from their parents for so long. To this day, Savannah and Chase talk about how her mom and dad wouldn’t take a plea because of their innocence. But now, innocent Chloe and Grayson are the ones who suffer.
No he didn’t.
He didn’t declare $9,000,000 on his taxes.
But he’s the president’s son so he doesn’t have to go to jail.
— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) June 21, 2023
Todd Chrisley Turned Down The Plea Deal & People Wonder Why
In a recent discussion on Reddit, u/Pettylabelle94 wondered about “the plea deal they denied.” An interesting discussion arose about how murderers and abusers like Josh Duggar serve similar sentences, and Savannah’s mom and dad didn’t kill anyone. From a person who works in legal, followers discovered that when a plea is turned down, it is never made public. So, the question about what they were offered can’t be answered.
Still, that didn’t stop people from speculating about the reason for Todd Chrisley taking that road. Some people believed that the former USA Network stars were just way too “arrogant” to expect a long sentence. One follower opined, “On the podcast, Todd would rant about unjust persecution by the government, the GA Department of Revenue, that he was fighting these charges for the everyman who couldn’t afford to fight….all while trying to muddy the waters with his nonsense because the Feds really had something on him.”
TV Fame Would Save Them?
The same follower also said that Julie and Todd Chrisley’s “egos prevented them from making a sound judgment regarding a plea deal.” they added, “I think Todd foolishly believed he could control the narrative. If I was Julie I would have flipped to save myself for my babies, but she’s clearly under his spell for whatever reason.”
