Todd Chrisley makes first statement in Nashville following Trump pardon
Todd Chrisley spoke for the first time publicly following his presidential pardon and release from federal prison where he and his wife were serving years on bank fraud and tax evasion convictions.
Todd and wife Julie Chrisley, the reality TV stars of "Chrisley Knows Best" will be returning to TV screens across the country, documenting their return to society upon their release, daughter Savannah Chrisley told reporters outside the Florida prison where her dad had been kept, ABC News reported.
Attorneys Alex Little and Zack Lawson, along with Todd and Savannah Chrisley, gathered for a news conference May 30 at a Nashville hotel to answer questions about the couple's pardon.
Julie Chrisley, who was also pardoned by the president, was not at the news conference.
"I want to thank President Trump," Todd Chrisley said.
He thanked daughter Savannah for fighting for his release.
"It's honestly felt like a dream to have them at home," Savannah Chrisley said.
More: 'Trump knows best': Todd and Julie Chrisley get presidential pardon. Will they be back on TV? What to know
The couple was released from federal prison May 28 after they were each sentenced to serve time for bank fraud and tax evasion. President Donald Trump announced the pardon for the couple when White House communications advisor Margo Martin posted a video clip of him calling their children to give them the news May 27.
Todd Chrisley had been imprisoned at FPC Pensacola, in Florida, while Julie Chrisley was incarcerated in Kentucky at FMC Lexington.
The Chrisleys were first indicted in federal court in Georgia in August 2019, four years after the couple made the move to Davidson County's Belle Meade. During their trial, prosecutors said the Chrisleys defrauded banks of more than $36 million in fraudulent loans and each personally recieved millions in proceeds, according to court records.
Julie was sentenced to seven years while Todd was sentenced to 12 in prison. They reported to prison in January 2023.
U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross ordered the couple to forfeit more than a combined $22 million they recieved as a result of the crimes they were convicted of. Trump's pardon wipes the debt clean since it was part of the court order and not a civil matter.
The couple's daughter Savannah Chrisley was critical of the trial and the sentences handed down to her parents. The couple's attorney, Alex Little, said his clients were targeted for their politics and conservative values.
"That's what you get from an Obama-appointed judge,' Savannah Chrisley said in federal court in Atlanta in September 2024, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Julie Chrisley apologized during that same hearing.
'I apologize for my actions and what led me to where I am today,' Julie Chrisley said then in federal court.
Savannah Chrisley recently appeared on Lara Trump's Fox News program pushing for a pardon for her parents. Lara Trump is the president's daughter-in-law.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Todd Chrisley makes first statement in Nashville after Trump pardon
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