Reality TV personalities Todd and Julie Chrisley have reached a $1 million settlement in a lawsuit against a former Georgia state tax official filed in 2019. The couple, known for the reality show “Chrisley Knows Best,” will receive the settlement from the state of Georgia, putting an end to the legal dispute with Joshua Waites, the former director of the Georgia Department of Revenue’s office of special investigations.
The settlement was officially announced by the family’s legal team on Tuesday, and court documents obtained revealed that both parties agreed to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice on January 4, 2024. The Chrisleys had previously informed the court of the settlement on September 13, 2023.
Alex Little, the family’s lawyer, expressed satisfaction with the settlement, stating, “We have been saying for months that the criminal case against the Chrisleys was highly unusual and had real problems. This settlement is an encouraging sign. It’s nearly unprecedented for one arm of the government to pay money to defendants when another arm is fighting to keep them in jail.”
The legal issues surrounding the Chrisley family extend beyond this settlement. Todd and Julie Chrisley are currently serving prison sentences related to charges of bank fraud and tax evasion. Todd, 55, has an anticipated release date of November 23, 2032, from FPC Pensacola in Florida, while Julie’s release from FMC Lexington in Kentucky is set for August 20, 2028.
An Atlanta federal appeals court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the Chrisleys’ case in April 2024. Their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, shared the news in November, describing it as “one step closer to getting mom and dad home.”
The legal saga began in October 2019 when Todd and Julie Chrisley filed a lawsuit against Joshua Waites, accusing him of abusing his position and pursuing “bogus tax evasion claims” against them. The lawsuit also alleged that Waites targeted Todd Chrisley’s estranged daughter, Lindsie Chrisley Campbell, to obtain compromising information about her family.
This legal action came a few months after Todd and Julie Chrisley were indicted on charges including tax evasion, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. After a three-week trial in June 2022, a jury found the couple guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks in Atlanta of more than $36 million in fraudulent loans and evading payment of federal income taxes. Julie Chrisley was also convicted of obstruction of justice.
In November 2022, Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie Chrisley received a seven-year sentence. However, both sentences have been reduced by at least two years and one year, respectively.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan commented on the case, saying, “Over the course of a decade, the defendants defrauded banks out of tens of millions of dollars while evading payment of their federal income taxes.” The legal developments, including the recent settlement, have added layers to the ongoing legal challenges faced by the Chrisley family.