Why are the Chrisleys in prison? What to know after RNC speech

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Savannah Chrisley, daughter of “Chrisley Knows Best” stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, spoke about her parents’ prison sentences at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night.

She opened reading numbers that she said were her parents prison identification numbers.

“You may have seen my family on TV, but for the past decade, we’ve been consumed with a different kind of drama,” she said. “My family was persecuted by rogue prosecutors in Fulton County due to our public profile.”

Savannah Chrisley’s parents are currently serving prison sentences after a jury found them guilty in 2022 of conspiring to defraud community banks, defraud the IRS and commit tax evasion.

Here is what to know about the family and their legal battles:

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Reality TV shows follow Chrisley family for a decade

“Chrisley Knows Best” aired on USA Network for 10 seasons, from 2014 through 2023. The reality show followed Todd and Julie Chrisley in their lives as real estate tycoons in the South.

“Growing Up Chrisley,” a spin-off featuring the couple’s adult children, Chase and Savannah Chrisley, went on for four seasons after its 2019 premiere.

Variety and Deadline reported in 2023 that the family is planning a reality TV comeback covering the children’s lives as they adjust to their parents’ imprisonment.

Why are Savannah Chrisley’s parents in prison?

Todd and Julie Chrisley are both serving prison sentences after a jury in June 2022 found them guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks in Atlanta out of more than $36 million in fraudulent loans, defraud the IRS and commit tax evasion.

Julie Chrisley was also convicted of obstruction of justice.

Five months later, Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie Chrisley received a shorter sentence that is being sent back to court for resentencing after an appeal.

The couple settled a lawsuit against a state tax official for $1 million earlier this year. Todd Chrisley was recently ordered to pay $755,000 in a defamation lawsuit brought by a former Georgia Department of Revenue investigator.

Prison records show Julie Chrisley is currently expected to be released in May 2028 and Todd Chrisley is expected to be released in August of 2032.

Savannah Chrisley speaks on “Make America Safe Again” night at RNC

Tuesday’s theme at the convention was “Make America Safe Again,” as many speakers addressed law enforcement, the military and immigration control. Chrisley spoke about the combined 19-year sentence her parents received and receiving custody of her younger siblings.

“I’ll never forget what the prosecutor said in the most heavily Democrat county in the state before an Obama-appointed judge,” Chrisley said on the RNC stage. “He called us the ‘Trumps of the South.’ Hey, it’s fine, he meant it as an insult, but let me tell ya boy do I wear it as a badge of honor.”

She accused the justice system of being unfair, and said she has become an advocate for criminal justice reform.

Chrisley RNC speech nods to Fulton County, Georgia

Chrisley made an apparent off-script nod to Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, Georgia, during her RNC remarks.

“I know, Fulton County,” she said. “They know how to do it don’t they.”

Fulton County is where presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged in a election interference case. The case is on hold while the state’s highest court decides whether to remove the prosecutor, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.