Todd and Julie Chrisley’s eldest daughter will have custody of their youngest children while her parents are in jail.
The ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ stars were found guilty of tax fraud in June and on Monday (21.11.22), Todd was sentenced to 12 years in federal custody plus 16 months of probation, while his wife was sent behind bars for seven years, with the same probation stint.
And Savannah Chrisley, 25, has confirmed she will be taking care of 16-year-old Grayson and her 10-year-old niece Chloe – who is the daughter of Todd’s son Kyle and his former partner Angela Johnson, who has been in the care of her grandfather and his wife since 2016 – as she reflected on the “painful” time ahead for the family.
Speaking on her ‘Unlocked’ podcast hours before her parents’ sentence was revealed, Savannah said: “I don’t know what my fate is. I don’t know what my family’s fate is. I know that the short-term is going to be really painful and really difficult and I may come home without both my parents.
“That’s what the chances are. That’s the likelihood, and that’s my new normal.
“I come home Tuesday and I have custody of the 16 year old and a 10 year old.
“And we spend our first Thanksgiving not as a family. I’ve never been away from my family for holidays. I’ve never had to worry about where my parents were, if they were going to show up.”
Savannah admitted she feels “guilt” within herself knowing Chloe and Grayson won’t have that same feeling of security around their parents.
She added: “I think that’s the hardest part, is me trying to navigate how you teach two younger children, who aren’t fully developed, that yet. And how to get them to understand the circumstances, that’s a really, really difficult thing.”
When the couple’s sentence was announced earlier this week, investigators were keen to point out that “celebrity status” didn’t mean people could manipulate finances without “severe consequences”.
James E. Dorsey, special agent in charge at the IRS Criminal Investigation Atlanta field office, said: “This sentencing serves notice that no matter a person’s celebrity status, there are severe consequences for defrauding the American tax system.”
Todd – who also has 26-year-old Chase with Julie and 33-year-old Lindsie, as well as Kyle, with former spouse Teresa Terry – had asked for a maximum of nine years in prison, while his wife’s legal team didn’t want her to serve jail time at all, and prosecutors had pushed for him to serve 22 years behind bars and Julie 12 years.
The charges relate to the couple – who have insisted they are innocent – allegedly falsifying documents to secure up to $30 million in bank loans for personal use.
