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President Donald Trump to pardon Todd and Julie Chrisley

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ATLANTA — President Donald Trump is expected to pardon Todd and Julie Chrisley.

The couple has spent nearly three years in federal prison after being convicted of fraud.

In a post on social media, Trump’s communications manager posted the president calling Savannah Chrisley to let her know.

“Your parents are going to be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow,” Trump told Savannah Chrisley over the phone. “I don’t know them, but give them my regards and wish them a good life.”

“Thank you for bringing my parents back,” Savannah Chrisley told Trump.

Savannah Chrisley had said in a recent episode of her podcast that she was working to get the Trump administration to pardon her parents.

She has also become a familiar face around the White House and on the conservative stage since her parents were convicted.

She posted on social media in February pictures of her at the White House, where she said she met with the administration’s “pardon czar.”

She was also spotted at Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago, in November with her brother Grayson.

Savannah Chrisley also spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, where she spoke about her parents’ case and called out the prosecutors who handled their case.

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Todd and Julie Chrisley were initially indicted in August 2019. Prosecutors said the couple submitted fake documents to banks when applying for loans.

Julie Chrisley sent a fake credit report and bank statements showing far more money than they had in their accounts to a California property owner in July 2014 while trying to rent a home.

A few months after they began using the home, in October 2014, they refused to pay rent, causing the owner to have to threaten them with eviction.

The money the Chrisleys received from their reality television show, “Chrisley Knows Best,” went to a company they controlled called 7C’s Productions, but they didn’t declare it as income on federal tax returns, prosecutors said.

The couple failed to file or pay their federal income taxes on time for multiple years.

The family had moved to Tennessee by the time the indictment was filed, but the criminal charges stem from when they lived in Atlanta’s northern suburbs.

In a statement from Todd and Julie’s representatives, they praised Trump’s pardon.

“This pardon corrects a deep injustice and restores two devoted parents to their family and community,” said Alex Little, partner at Litson PLLC. “President Trump recognized what we’ve argued from the beginning: Todd and Julie were targeted because of their conservative values and high profile. Their prosecution was tainted by multiple constitutional violations and political bias.”

Channel 2 Action News first started investigating the Chrisleys in 2017, when we learned that Todd Chrisley had likely evaded paying Georgia state income taxes for several years.

Court documents obtained by Channel 2 Action News showed that by 2018, the Chrisleys owed the state nearly $800,000 in liens.

The couple eventually went to trial, and a federal jury found them guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion.

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