Reality TV Personalities Julie Chrisley (L) and Todd Chrisley (R) visit Hallmark’s “Home & Family” at Universal Studios Hollywood on June 18, 2018 in Universal City, California.
Paul Archuleta | Getty Images
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will pardon reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud, and sentenced to several years behind bars.
“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.
Trump has granted a number of high-profile, controversial pardons since returning to the White House, including for individuals convicted of white-collar crimes.
Todd and Julie Chrisley, known for their series “Chrisley Knows Best,” were found guilty in 2022 for conspiring to defraud Atlanta-area community banks to get more than $36 million in personal loans, according to 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 was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and 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, a reality television star, had been lobbying for a pardon for her parents, telling PEOPLE in February that she is “going through the proper channels.”
She had lunch at the White House in February, according to a post on Instagram.
She also spoke at the Republican National Convention last year, when she criticized the prosecutors who brought her parents’ case.
Earlier this month, she appeared “My View,” the TV talk show hosted by Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, on Fox News Channel.
An attorney for Todd and Julie Chrisley said in a statement late Tuesday that his clients “will soon be released from prison” as a result of 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.