Julie Chrisley ordered to attend resentencing in person after request for virtual appearance denied.
Julie Chrisley, reality TV star best known for her role in “Chrisley Knows Best,” has been ordered to appear in person for her resentencing hearing scheduled for September 25 in Atlanta. A federal judge recently denied her request to appear virtually, a decision that adds yet another layer of complexity to her ongoing legal battles.
The Request for Virtual Appearance
Julie Chrisley, currently incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Lexington, Kentucky, made a formal request through her attorney to attend the hearing remotely. The request was filed with the intent to prevent what her legal team described as an “unnecessarily extended period of travel” that could impose “undue physical hardship” on the 51-year-old.
In the motion submitted to the court, Julie’s attorney, Alex Little, emphasized the burdensome nature of the trip. According to Little, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) would likely transfer Julie to the court via a transfer facility in Oklahoma City or place her in a van for a lengthy trip, potentially spanning several hours, while shackled. The attorney argued that the hardship of such travel could be avoided by allowing her to appear via video conference, a provision already confirmed to be technically feasible by Julie’s case manager at FMC Lexington.
The Judge’s Decision
Despite these arguments, the federal judge overseeing the case denied the request. The judge’s decision means Julie will need to endure the multi-state transfer to Georgia, where she is expected to appear in person at the Atlanta courthouse on September 25. This court date will serve as her resentencing hearing, a result of recent developments in her case.
The Chrisley’s Legal Saga
Julie Chrisley and her husband Todd were first indicted in 2019 on a series of financial crimes, including bank fraud and tax evasion. The couple was accused of defrauding banks by lying to secure loans totaling $30 million, which they later attempted to avoid repaying by declaring bankruptcy. Their legal troubles culminated in a three-week trial in May 2022, which ended with a conviction for both.
In November 2022, the Chrisleys were sentenced to a combined 19 years in federal prison. Todd received a 12-year sentence, while Julie was handed a seven-year sentence. Both reported to prison in January 2023, even as their legal teams launched appeals against their convictions.
A Glimmer of Hope
In a significant turn of events, a federal judge in June 2023 granted Julie Chrisley’s appeal, leading to the vacating of her original seven-year sentence. The appeal was granted based on the argument of insufficient evidence to convict Julie of involvement in the bank fraud scheme before 2007. The judge’s ruling noted that the evidence presented at trial did not adequately prove Julie’s involvement in the criminal activities during 2006, a key period in the charges against her.
“The problem is that we have not located the evidence the district court relied on in adopting that finding,” the judge wrote in the June ruling. This decision raised hopes for a significant reduction in Julie’s prison time and the possibility of an earlier release.
Following the ruling, Julie’s resentencing was scheduled for September 25, 2023, in Atlanta. The outcome of this hearing could potentially see Julie’s sentence reduced further or modified based on the new findings.
Family Reactions
The news of Julie’s legal victory and the subsequent resentencing date has sparked emotional reactions from her family. Savannah Chrisley, the couple’s daughter, shared her father Todd’s reaction during an episode of her “Unlocked” podcast, released on July 2, 2023.
“He’s fine,” Savannah said, describing Todd’s response as tearful but relieved. “He was crying, like, happy tears knowing that mom could be home. That’s the only thing he cares about right now is getting her home.”
Savannah also expressed her own hopes that her mother’s potential early release would allow Julie to visit Todd, which she believes would be a “game changer” for both of their mental health and well-being. “Mom obviously was heartbroken for Dad,” Savannah explained, “but hopefully she can come home and then she can go visit him, and that will be a game changer, I think, for his overall mental health and well-being and for hers too.”
