Todd and Julie Chrisley plan to appeal convictions and prison sentences, attorney says
Julie Chrisley sits with her sister Todd Chrisley in St. Charles County Circuit Court April 15, 2011. The sisters are co-defendants in a federal fraud case involving the operation of Todd’s car dealership. (Spencer Liberman / Chicago Tribune)
Julie and Todd Chrisley both are co-defendants in a federal fraud case involving the operation of Todd’s Car World. In January, a judge sentenced the sisters to prison as part of two-and-a-half years in federal prison for their roles in the scheme involving the “bait-and-switch” sale of the dealership.
They will be filing appeals, the girls say.
The sisters had been trying to work out a settlement with the dealerships and lenders who had financed the car operation, the girls say.
They also were trying to negotiate their sentences with the U.S. Attorney’s office, according to the sisters’ attorney, Charles J. Ecker.
Instead, he said, the sisters’ sentences have been a “major disappointment” and they now are seeking an appeal.
“This was a huge setback for the sisters and for Ms. Chrisley and her business,” Ecker said.
The sisters also hope to get restitution but are seeking more than $2 million, according to the attorney.
In the last two years, the Chrisleys also have operated a store that sells children’s clothing and shoes. They had no income and lived on Social Security while working.
The sisters’ attorney, Charles J. Ecker, in an email Thursday said they asked to speak with him Friday.
“We are preparing to file a request for a sentence reduction of sentences,” Ecker said. “We are also planning to file an appeal of the sentencing in the hope of reducing as much as we can.”
The sisters will also have to pay the U.S. Attorney’s office for the costs of their appeals, he said.
The U.S. Attorney’s office will not discuss the sisters’ cases, said spokeswoman Sharon Thompson.
In July 2011, the sisters’ attorney, Charles J. Ecker Sr., told the Tribune