Todd Chrisley’s legal and financial woes are compounded because he was convicted of federal bank fraud and tax evasion and is serving a 10-year sentence in federal prison.
On April 4, a Georgia court awarded Chrisley, 55, $755,000 after Amy Dougherty-Heinze lost a defamation lawsuit brought by an IRS agent in July 2021. ordered to pay.
In a defamation complaint obtained by People magazine, Georgia Department of Revenue (GDOR) investigator Dougherty Heinze alleges that Chrisley has been accused of social media and the podcast Chrisley Confessions, which he co-hosts with his wife Julie. ” accused him of defaming her.
Todd Chrisley lost his defamation lawsuit against tax auditor Amy Dougherty Heinze and was ordered to pay her $755,000. (Dennis Leupold/USA Network/NBCU Photobank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
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Doherty-Heinze claimed that in 2020, the real estate mogul “launched the attack.” [her] After GDOR began investigating the Chrisleys in 2017, they accused her of numerous crimes and misconduct.
Dougherty-Heinze accused Chrisley of starting “.social media campaign It argued against GDOR and some of its employees that the investigation was illegal and improperly motivated. ”
She claimed that Mr. Chrisley defamed her, even though she was “not involved” in GDOR’s investigation into Mr. Chrisley and his spouse.
The reality star is serving a 10-year sentence in federal prison after being convicted of federal bank fraud and tax evasion. Todd’s wife, Julie Chrisley, was also convicted and is serving a five-year sentence. (Kevin Mazur/ACMA2017/Getty Images for ACM)
According to People, the document states that Doherty-Heinze sent a letter to Chrisley on July 2, 2021 requesting a “revocation.” She later filed suit because Chrisley “refused and refused to recant the false and defamatory accusations,” she said.
A jury in Newnan, Georgia, returned a verdict in Dougherty-Heinze’s favor on April 4, 2024, according to documents obtained by FOX News Digital.
The jury found Mr. Chrisley liable for one count of libel for defamation of written statements he made about Mr. Doherty-Heinze. Jurors also found Chrisley liable on one count of defamation for defaming her for verbal comments she made about her on an episode of her own podcast in 2020.
On April 4, a Georgia court awarded Chrisley, 55, $755,000 after Amy Doherty Heinze lost a defamation lawsuit filed by an IRS agent in July 2021. ordered to pay. (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
Chrisley was found not liable for one count of libel and defamation for comments he made about Doherty-Heinze on a 2022 episode of Chrisley Knows Best. Although the jury agreed that the statements were “false and defamatory,” Chrisley was held liable because “overwhelming evidence” failed to prove that Doherty-Heinze acted with “actual malice.” I wasn’t asked.
Dougherty-Heinze was awarded $350,000 in compensatory damages, $170,000 in punitive damages, and $235,000 in legal costs.
“Amy is thrilled with the jury’s verdict against Todd Chrisley,” Dohery Heinze’s lead attorney, Nicole Wade, said in a statement to FOX News Digital. “These lies have haunted her for four years, and Amy… I am extremely grateful for the outcome of the trial.” Her jury believed her and vindicated her.
“The jury found Mr. Chrisley’s accusations to be false and defamatory in every respect, and also found that Mr. Chrisley acted with actual malice and specific intent to harm Amy,” Wade said. He continued. “The verdict against Mr. Chrisley proves that social media celebrities can be held accountable for publishing lies about innocent people, and we hope he takes this lesson to heart.”
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Chrisley’s attorney, Lisa Guarnotta, did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. In a statement to People magazine, Guarnotta said she and Chrisley were “congratulated that the jury found that some of Chrisley’s statements were not defamatory and awarded her one-quarter of the damages she sought from the plaintiffs.” I’m happy,” he said.
Guarnotta told the report that he plans to appeal the ruling, saying he is “concerned about the First Amendment situation that would allow a case like this to go to trial in the first place.” Told.
“We are optimistic about the appeal.”
Chrisley and his wife were convicted of federal bank fraud and tax evasion in June 2022 and reported to prison in January 2023. Todd is serving his sentence at a federal prison camp in Pensacola, Florida, while Julie was sent to Federal Medical Center Lexington. In Kentucky.
In September 2023, the Chrisleys were granted a reduced sentence. The two will serve for a total of 15 years, Todd for 10 years and Julie for 5 years.
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Todd was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie was charged with bank fraud and tax evasion in August 2019 and sentenced to seven years in prison. They were originally ordered to complete 16 months of probation after their sentences.
Julie’s convictions included bank fraud, bank fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. She was also charged with wire fraud and obstruction of justice.
Todd was convicted of bank fraud, bank fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The couple is appealing the case, and their daughter Savannah revealed in an Instagram post in November that the appellate court had agreed to hold oral arguments. According to People magazine, oral arguments will begin on April 19th.
