Legal Expert Predicts Todd And Julie Chrisley's Fraud Trial Will Be Nothing Short Of Dramatic - Exclusive

The Chrisleys know best... or do they?

Reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley are gearing up for the fight of a lifetime... in federal court. As reported by the AP, days after it was announced that Todd would be at the helm of not one, not two, but three reality shows for NBCUniversal, Todd and Julie are set to stand trial on bank fraud and tax evasion charges in Atlanta, Georgia, starting May 16. 

As you may recall, the famous reality couple first became embroiled in legal and financial woes back in 2019 when they were indicted on various white-collar crimes including state tax evasion. Later, however, the case was settled and the pair agreed to pay $150,000 to the Georgia Department of Revenue, according to the AP. Then in February, the couple faced a brand new indictment and while the charges are certainly no laughing matter, one legal expert who sat down with Nicki Swift is adamant that just like the patriarch's famous reality show, the trial will have no shortage of drama. Here's what he has to say about the high-profile federal court case... 

While "Chrisley Knows Best" stars Todd and Julie Chrisley are staring down some serious charges, former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers Neama Rahmani warned. "The charges against Todd and Julie Chrisley that carry the most serious prison time are for allegedly defrauding banks to obtain millions of dollars in loans," Rahmani noted. "The indictment accuses them of blowing the money they were lent on their personal expenses. But the indictment is not clear about exactly how much money the banks lost when it was all said and done. The amount of the loss drives the sentence under federal guidelines," he explained. 

Although it's unclear at this time what the sentence will be if the couple is found guilty, Rahmani paints a grim picture. "The bank fraud charge against the Chrisleys carries a maximum statutory sentence of 30 years in prison and the wire fraud charge they face carries a maximum sentence of 20 years," he outlined. Still, there is some hope. "But even if the Chrisleys are convicted, their sentence could be significantly less than the maximum if the banks limited their losses by recovering much of what they lent to the couple." 

And as for the tax evasion charges? "If they are only convicted of the charges involving their taxes, and not the fraud involving banks, the Chrisleys could probably rebuild their lives and be back in business," Rhamani surmised. "People bounce back from tax evasion convictions all the time," he added.

Outside of weighing in on potential prison time, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani also discussed how Todd and Julie Chrisley's woes are not the norm in Hollywood. "This is nothing like the typical civil lawsuit celebrities deal with every day," he declared. "If they are convicted, they could receive significant prison sentences."

Rahmani also pointed out the seriousness of the case making it to trial, explaining, "The U.S. Department of Justice doesn't prosecute many tax cases. Most tax issues are resolved by administrative audit or civil litigation. For it to rise to the level of a criminal prosecution means federal prosecutors believe this scheme to defraud was intentional and involved a large amount of money." He added, "And of course the bank fraud allegations bring a whole other dimension to this trial, with another class of alleged victims in the form of private banks and some dramatic allegations of how brazen the couple were in funding their lifestyle." In short, per Rahmani: "It will make for a dramatic trial."

The Chrisleys have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and have not addressed the trial on social media. However, both Julie and Todd did take to Instagram on May 16, aka the first day of the trial, to wish their youngest son Grayson a happy birthday.