Todd Chrisley spoke publicly for the first time after his release from prison following Pres. Donald Trump’s full pardon.
“I want to thank President Trump,” Todd Chrisley said during a May 30 press conference with his daughter Savannah Chrisley, 27, at a Nashville hotel. They were joined by attorneys Alex Little and Zack Lawson.
When Savannah took the podium, she announced the “Chrisley Knows Best” stars will be returning to reality television. Filming has already begun on a new show that will document the reunification of Todd and his wife, Julie Chrisley.
“It’s honestly felt like a dream to have them at home,” Savannah said.
Todd and Julie Chrisley had their prison sentences commuted by Trump on May 28, and they were released from their respective federal prisons hours later. They were each serving time for bank fraud and tax evasion.
When asked if the family plans to stay in Nashville, Todd Chrisley did not commit. “Nashville will always have a special place in our heart, but we have other plans,” he said.
Julie was not at the news conference because she was at home with daughter Chole Chrisley, Todd said.
“Julie and I have been together for over 30 years, and she is my best friend,” he added.
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‘Nothing to do other than to read and to work out’
Todd Chrisley had been imprisoned at FPC Pensacola in Florida, while Julie Chrisley was incarcerated in Kentucky at FMC Lexington.
Todd Chrisley said he’d maintained a fitness regimen and joked about his Bureau of Prisons “glow,” saying, “Maybe it’s all the residual Botox that never wore off.”
He said he also grew in his faith while behind bars.
“I have nothing to do other than to read and to work out,” he said. “And so I worked out every morning at 10:45 a.m. until 12 with my buddies there, and I read and my walk with Christ became deeper.”
Todd Chrisley denies having ‘remorse’
Todd took the opportunity to maintain his innocence, saying, “I’d have remorse if it was something that I did.”
When asked what Todd Chrisley would say to people who think he and his wife were only pardoned because of their status, he said he could understand it.
“I understand that that’s not something that you can look at and say, well, that had nothing to do with it,” he said. “I don’t know if it did, because I wasn’t involved in the process…and if that’s the case, I don’t know how to address the fact that if it is the case, but I’m grateful to God for whatever reason it was that we were able to get the pardon in the first place.”
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During a September 2024 hearing, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Julie Chrisley apologized “for my actions and what led me to where I am today.”
When asked about this apology during the May 30 press conference, Todd Chrisley argued she had no other options.
“You’re placed in a position as a defendant to either bow down … (to) the Department of Justice and accept responsibility for things that you did not do in order to avoid a stronger sentence,” he said. “And the corruption that went on in our case is going to continue to unfold, and (attorney) Alex (Little) is going to continue to give each and every one of you the evidence.”
USA TODAY has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia for comment.
What crimes were Julie and Todd Chrisley accused of committing?
The Chrisleys were first indicted in Georgia federal court in August 2019, four years after the couple moved to the Belle Meade area of Nashville. During their trial, prosecutors said the Chrisleys defrauded banks of more than $36 million in fraudulent loans and received millions in proceeds, according to court records.
“The Chrisleys defrauded financial institutions and the Federal Government through tax evasion and other fraudulent means in an effort to minimize their tax liability (and) project an image of wealth,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge James E. Dorsey in a November 2022 news release following the Chrisleys’ sentencing. “This sentencing serves notice that no matter a person’s celebrity status, there are severe consequences for defrauding the American tax system.”
Julie was sentenced to seven years, while Todd was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison — which was shortened to nine years by the time of his release. They began serving their sentences in January 2023.
U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross had ordered the couple to forfeit more than a combined $22 million as pardon of their sentences; Trump’s pardon wipes that debt clean as it was part of the court order and not a civil matter.
Todd Chrisley said he’d felt numb after learning he was being pardoned.
“All I could think about was the guys that I was leaving behind,” Todd Chrisley said. “And when I left that day, there was only 317 men in our camp, but they were lined up shouting when I was walking out, and they were saying, ‘Don’t leave; don’t forget us.'”
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Todd Chrisley opens up about life in prison after Trump pardon
