'Chrisley Knows Best' stars settle state tax evasion charge, but legal issues not over
Reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, known for opening their home to America, scored a legal victory this week by being cleared of their state tax evasion charge.
On Tuesday, the couple settled charges that they failed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in income taxes to the state of Georgia.
A spokesman for the couple, Allan Mayer, said the Chrisleys, who were accused of evading nearly $2 million in state taxes who between 2008 and 2016, had reached an agreement with the Georgia Department of Revenue that credits them with tax refunds for some tax years and says they owed nothing in others.
In the agreement, according to the spokesman, the Chrisleys agreed to pay a little under $150,000 to resolve the claims. It was officially signed by the couple on Sept. 27.
The move marks an end to a prolonged investigation into the Chrisleys’ alleged state tax liabilities, although the couple who made a name for themselves through the launch of USA’s flagship reality docuseries, "Chrisley Knows Best," still face separate federal tax evasion charges.
In August, the couple pleaded not guilty to tax evasion and other federal charges that their lawyers said stemmed from false allegations made by a former employee.
A 12-count federal indictment filed accuses the Chrisleys of tax evasion, conspiracy, bank fraud and wire fraud. The indictment alleges the Chrisleys submitted fake bank and financial statements to financial institutions to get loans. It also claims the couple sent fabricated financial documents to a California property owner to rent a home there, and that they used a company they’d created called 7C’s Productions to hide their television show earnings from the IRS and failed to file and pay taxes on time, the indictment says.
Federal prosecutors say the criminal charges stem from when the couple lived in Atlanta’s northern suburbs before moving to Tennessee a few years ago.
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Georgia Department of Revenue spokesman William Gaston told The Associated Press the department was not allowed to comment on confidential taxpayer information.
“Chrisley Knows Best” follows the tight-knit, boisterous family living in Nashville. Much of the series emphasizes Todd Chrisley’s obsessive, yet comedic efforts to keep tabs on three of his kids -- two of whom are in their 20s -- and his mother.
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The series is in its seventh season. The network also premiered a spinoff called “Growing Up Chrisley” in 2019 which follows the lives of his kids Chase and Savannah as they move to Los Angeles.
Todd Chrisley also briefly hosted a talk show, “According to Chrisley,” for the network. Todd, 51, and Julie Chrisley, 46, also have a podcast called “Chrisley Confessions.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.