President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he is pardoning reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were serving prison sentences for federal fraud charges involving bank fraud and tax evasion.
Trump called the couple’s children, Savannah and Grayson Chrisley, from the Oval Office on May 27 to inform them of his decision. White House aide Margo Martin posted a video of the call on social media platform X.
“Your parents are going to be free and clean and I hope we can do it by tomorrow,” Trump told the children during the phone call. “Is that OK? We’ll try getting it done tomorrow, so give them — I don’t know them — but give them my regards and wish them well. Wish them a good life.”
BREAKING!
President Trump calls @_ItsSavannah_ to inform her that he will be granting full pardons to her parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley!
Trump Knows Best! pic.twitter.com/j5WPMOOQ7L
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) May 27, 2025
Trump added that the couple received harsh treatment, saying, “Well they were given a pretty harsh treatment, based on what I’m hearing, pretty harsh treatment.”
Grayson Chrisley, 19, thanked Trump during the call “for bringing my parents back.” He later shared video of the call on his Instagram story, writing, “Praise God!!!! Thank you Mr President for bringing my family back.”
“Mr. Trump notified me that he was signing pardon paperwork for both of my parents,” she said. “So, both my parents are coming home tonight or tomorrow,” Savannah Chrisley, 27, confirmed in a video after the call. “I still don’t believe it’s real.”
She added, “My parents get to start their lives over.”
Todd and Julie Chrisley, known for their reality series “Chrisley Knows Best,” were indicted in 2019 by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on 12 counts including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Their accountant, Peter Tarantino, was also charged in the case.
The couple was found guilty by a jury in 2022 of conspiring to defraud Atlanta-area community banks to obtain more than $36 million in personal loans, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. They also conspired to defraud the Internal Revenue Service by hiding their wealth from tax authorities.
Todd Chrisley was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison but had his sentence reduced by two years. He was serving at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in Florida. Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years but had her sentence reduced by 14 months. She was serving at Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky.
The couple reported to their respective prisons in January 2023, giving them a combined sentence of 19 years. Tarantino was convicted on tax counts and is serving a three-year prison sentence.
Since their parents’ imprisonment, Savannah Chrisley became the legal guardian of her niece Chloe and brother Grayson. She has been advocating for their parents’ release and appealing their case through what she called “the proper channels” in a February interview with PEOPLE magazine.
Savannah had lunch at the White House in February and spoke at the Republican National Convention last year, where she criticized the prosecutors who brought her parents’ case. Earlier this month, she appeared on “My View,” the television talk show hosted by Lara Trump on Fox News Channel.
White House spokesman Harrison Fields defended the pardon decision in a statement to NBC News Tuesday night.
“The President is always pleased to give well-deserving Americans a second chance, especially those who have been unfairly targeted and overly prosecuted by an unjust justice system,” Fields said.
Alex Little, an attorney for Todd and Julie Chrisley and partner at Litson PLLC, said in a statement that his clients “will soon be released from prison” as a result of Trump’s pardon.
“This pardon corrects a deep injustice and restores two devoted parents to their family and community,” Little said.
The Chrisley pardon continues Trump’s pattern of granting high-profile pardons since returning to the White House, including for individuals convicted of white-collar crimes.
Savannah Chrisley said the family was busy preparing for her parents’ return, and said the pardons represent the end of a legal saga that began in 2019.