'Chrisley Knows Best' star Todd Chrisley, wife Julie deny tax evasion and fraud charges
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Chrisley Knows Best" stars Todd and Julie Chrisley have been indicted on federal fraud and tax evasion charges, U.S. Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday.
The Chrisleys and their accountant, Peter Tarantino, were reportedly charged in Georgia's Northern District with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax evasion.
A rep for the Chrisleys told Fox News: "Nothing has happened yet that we’re aware of." An attorney for the Chrisleys could not comment. Todd Chrisley’s attorneys, Bruce H. Morris and Stephen Friedberg, told Fox News: “The allegations contained in the indictment are based on complete falsehoods. The Chrisleys are innocent of all charges.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TODD CHRISLEY: DISGRUNTLED EX-EMPLOYEE BEHIND UPCOMING TAX EVASION, FRAUD INDICTMENTS
If convicted of all charges, Todd and Julie face up to 30 years each behind bars.
On Monday night, Todd, 50, posted a lengthy Instagram note telling fans that an upcoming indictment was due to a disgruntled former employee stealing from his family and trying to retaliate against them after he was fired in 2012.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The star wrote that he wouldn't go into detail, but said the former employee's alleged crimes included “all kinds of really bad stuff like creating phony documents, forging our signatures, and threatening other employees with violence if they said anything.”
Todd explained that the unidentified man spied on them and went as far as to take forged documents to the U.S. Attorney’s office to try and get him and his wife in legal trouble.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“[We] even discovered that he illegally bugged our home,” he wrote. “Needless to say, we fired the guy and took him to court — and that’s when the real trouble started. To get revenge, 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. 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.”
"Chrisley Knows Best" star Todd Chrisley in February 2017. (Getty)
In 2017, WSB reported that Todd was being investigated over allegations of tax evasion and making claims of legal residency in Florida, even though the family lives in Georgia.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The report alleged that Chrisley never filed Georgia income taxes, claiming on both his tax forms and a bankruptcy filing that he lived in Florida.
Todd filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2012, listing $4.2 million in assets and $49.4 million in debts.
Todd's attorney, Robert Furr, told People of the financial mess, “He guaranteed a real estate development loan and it failed. He was on the hook for $30 million. If he hadn’t had that happen, he would have been fine, financially.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Savannah Chrisley, Lindsie Chrisley Campbell, Julie Chrisley, Todd Chrisley, Kyle Chrisley, Chase Chrisley, and Grayson Chrisley pose for a press photo for "Chrisley Knows Best." Kyle Chrisley only appeared in one season of the USA reality show. (Getty)
Todd's debts also included $12 million worth of mortgages, a delinquent IRS bill for $595,227.98 and a $4.4 million loan from Julie. Furr said of the loan between the spouses, “She is well-off. She has her own money. This is money that she lent him over the years for his business. It’s as simple as that.”
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In the 2012 bankruptcy filing, Todd claimed to have only $55 in a checking account and $100 in cash, which court-appointed trustee Jason Pettie questioned due to the family's lavish spending habits that have been documented on their reality show.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Neither [Todd nor Julie] has been employed since 2012. However, they continue to live in lavish residences, drive expensive vehicles and travel extensively,” he wrote.
Furr denied Pettie's allegations, saying of Todd, “He has cooperated fully. He has been totally honest and forthright. He is not hiding assets.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Todd told People in 2014 that the family was past the bankruptcy, which he claimed was in its final stages. “I’m no different from anyone else,” he said of his financial situation. “I’m no better, I’m no worse. I think that the Lord has given us a second wind. We’re moving forward, and we’re blessed.”
On Tuesday, right around the time that the news broke of the Chrisleys' indictment, Todd posted a promo for "Growing Up Chrisley."
A week earlier, Todd posted a series of cryptic Instagram messages, including one that reads, "The older I got, the more I realize the value of privacy, of cultivating your inner circle and only letting certain people in." He captioned the textual image, "No one is promised tomorrow so make the days you have with the ones you love and trust matter."
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Another post admonished big spending on designer labels. Todd captioned that snap, "If only we knew this in our youth we could’ve saved so many tears and heartaches, but once realized everything else in life makes more sense."
Fox News' Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.