Making moves. Todd and Julie Chrisley were granted extensions to file for acquittal after being found guilty on all counts in their $30 million fraud trial.
According to court docs obtained by Us Weekly, the Chrisley Knows Best couple filed their request on Tuesday, June 14, seeking an extension of at least 30 days for their motions of judgement of acquittal and for a new trial. The deadline was initially 14 days after their trial’s conclusion on June 7.
Todd, 53, and Julie, 49, asked to delay the process in order to help them better prepare their argument with “necessary” court transcripts from their hearings. “To date, the Defendants have not received the requested transcripts,” the pair claim in their filing. “Moreover, the Court Reporter has estimated that it will take ‘at least 3 months’ to prepare the complete transcript of trial.”
The reality stars have also “retained additional counsel to assist in these motions,” per the docs, applying for lawyers Joseph Alexander Little, Eddie Travis Ramey and Zachary C. Lawson to join their legal team. “Defendants expect these attorneys to file their appearances soon, but they will need time to review the record before they file the post-trial motions,” the filing states.
According to the docs, U.S. attorneys Thomas Krepp and Annalise Peters were alerted to Todd and Julie’s “issues” and did not object to the 30-day extension. A judge granted the request on Thursday, June 16, allowing until July 21 to file the motions.
The couple, who have been married since 1996, were found guilty of tax evasion, bank and wire fraud and conspiracy earlier this month after being indicted in 2019. At the time, Todd and Julie’s lawyer emphasized in a statement to Us that “an appeal is planned.”
Less than two weeks later, the twosome broke their silence on the verdict during an episode of Todd’s “Chrisley Confessions” podcast. “It has been a whirlwind,” the businessman said on Friday, June 17. “Lot of moving parts, lot of things going on in our lives and a lot of seeing God’s movements right now.”
Though they couldn’t share much about the case’s specific details, Todd gave fans insight into how he and Julie were feeling. “We wanted to let everyone know that it’s a very sad, heartbreaking time for our family right now,” he said. “But we still hold steadfast in our faith and we trust that God will do what he does because God’s a miracle worker — and that’s what we’re holding out for.”
Todd and Julie are set to be sentenced on October 6 in Atlanta, and plans for a 10th season of their family’s reality show remain up in the air.
“Any future planning in Todd and Julie’s life is pretty much on pause until they learn of the sentencing in the fall,” a source told Us after the verdict. “It’s horrible news … They aren’t sure what this means for the future of Chrisley Knows Best and all their other projects that were in the works. No one knows what’s going to happen or what to do at this stage.”
The couple share children Chase, 26, Savannah, 24, and Grayson, 16. Todd is also the father of Lindsie, 32, and son Kyle, 30, with ex-wife Teresa Terry.
With reporting by Diana Cooper
