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Tom and Julie Chrisley have been implicated in financial crimes for years, and it was only a few months ago that a jury finally found the reality television couple guilty. Now, the pair will officially spend the next few years behind bars. But this has raised questions about what will happen to their children while they’re away.
The couple have five children between them and have also had custody of their young granddaughter for years. Here’s what we know will happen to Tom and Julie’s minor children when they serve their time.
Tom And Julie Chrisley Were Sentenced To Years In Prison
Earlier this month, Tom and Julie Chrisley were handed down jail sentences after years of legal trouble. Judge Eleanor Ross sentenced Tom, 53, to 12 years in prison, while Julie, 49, was handed down 7 years behind bars. Upon completing their time, the couple will both have to serve three years of supervised release. Additionally, Tom and Julie have been ordered to pay $17.2 million in restitution.
The couple was originally convicted of bank fraud, tax evasion, and conspiring to defraud the IRS five months ago.
Charges were first brought forth against them in 2019 when it was revealed they submitted false paperwork to community banks to secure $30 million in fraudulent loans. The kept securing new loans when the old ones would run out, until Tom filed for bankruptcy, which allowed him avoid $20 million in debt.
Tom tried to deflect blame in 2019 by releasing a statement accusing their former Mark Braddock of the financial crimes.
“He took a bunch of his phony documents to the U.S. Attorney’s office and told them we had committed all kinds of financial crimes, like tax evasion and bank fraud,” Todd claimed.
“That got their attention all right, but once we had a chance to explain who he was and what he’d done to us, they realized it was all a bunch of nonsense and they sent him on his way,” he continued. “[He] persuaded a different set of investigators at the U.S. Attorney’s office not only to reopen the case but also to grant him immunity from prosecution for his own crimes and bring charges against us.”
Though Mark wasn’t sentenced alongside the Chrisleys, their former accountant, Peter Tarantino, was sentenced to three years in prison as well as three years of supervised release.
While there’s a possibility Tom and Julie could be released earlier, reports say that’s unlikely.
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Speaking to PEOPLE, Neama Rahmani, the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, said it’s most likely the duo will serve “85 percent of their sentence.”
“And that’s the minimum they’re going to have to serve if they’re model inmates,” the attorney explained. “Unlike states where inmates can sometimes serve less than even half of their sentence, under federal statutes, you only get a slight reduction for good behavior.”
Their Oldest Daughter Will Take Care Of The Minor Kids
Tom and Julie have been married since 1995 and share three children – Chase, 26, Savannah, 25, and Grayson, 16. Todd also has two children from his first marriage – Lindsie, 33, and Kyle, 31.
The couple’s adult children no longer live at home, but until now, they’ve been caring for their teenage son as well as their granddaughter, Chloe, 10, who’s the daughter of Tom’s eldest son, Kyle. Tom and Julie were granted custody of Chloe in 2016 after in light of her parents’ substance abuse and legal troubles.
Since their sentencing, there have been questions about where Grayson and Chloe will live while Tom and Julie are in jail. But luckily, the minors will remain in the family, as Savannah Chrisley has confirmed she’ll look after them.
“I come home Tuesday, and I have custody of a 16-year-old and a 10-year-old, and we spend our first Thanksgiving not as a family,” the reality star said on her podcast Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley.
“I’ve never been away from my family for the holidays,” Savannah continued. “I just ask that you to show up and understand where I’m coming from and have some grace for me and my family and to stop with the negative comments because it hurts.”
The Chrisleys Still Have To Sell Their Family Homes
Tom and Julie may not have to worry about where their minor children will stay during their incarceration, but they do have their finances to get in order beforehand.
According to various reports, the couple needs to sell their assets in order to pay back the restitution as well as ensure Grayson and Chloe are cared for during their time away. This reportedly includes selling $9 million worth of mansions in Tennessee.
“They’re going to have to give up a lot of things, including their homes, sadly. They won’t be able to afford it,” a source told New York Post. “But their main concern now is their children, especially their youngest boy.”
It’s unclear when Tom and Julie will enter the penitentiary system, but they clearly have some work to do before then.
