Lindsie Chrisley, the 29-year-old daughter of Chrisley Knows Best star Todd Chrisley, reportedly wants nothing to do with her family after Todd and Julie Chrisley were indicted on tax evasion charges this week. Todd, 51, and Julie, 48, turned themselves in to U.S. Marshalls in Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday after being indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 counts of bank fraud and tax evasion.
Lindsie’s relationship with her father and stepmother has been estranged in recent years; she hasn’t appeared on the USA Network series, now in its seventh season, since 2017. Lindsie said via her lawyer, Musa Ghanayem, that she is distancing herself from her family.
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“Lindsie would like to thank all of her supporters. The circumstances Todd and Julie find themselves in, is quite unfortunate. It was reported that Lindsie was the source of the information that led to her father’s arrest. That is untrue, she was not the source of this information,” the statement read. “Lindsie has been a constant target of lies, harassment and threats from her family and as a result, has been distancing herself from the Chrisley family since 2017.”
“Lindsie is currently processing the events that have unfolded. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and pray for a just resolution. We will have more to say when the opportunity presents itself.”
Last month, Lindsie reportedly filed a police report in Georgia alleging that her brother Chase Chrisley and father were harassing and threatening her with a sex tape of hers that she believes Chase purchased. TMZ obtained the police report, which claims that Todd and Chase threatened to release the tape unless Lindsie agreed to lie about a certain “incident.” Sources say that “incident” was related to the tax issues Todd and Julie are currently facing.
Todd and Julie pleaded not guilty to their charges on Wednesday afternoon that their lawyers said stemmed from false allegations made by a former employee. The judge agreed to release them on $100,000 unsecured bond, which means they don’t have to pay anything unless they fail to show up for court dates.
The judge also ordered them to surrender their passports and said they’re not permitted to travel outside parts of Georgia or Tennessee without letting their probation officers know. Their lawyers had previously asked for travel permission so they can continue filming their show.
In the 12-count indictment filed with the U.S. District Court of Northern Georgia, the Chrisleys are accused of bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and tax evasion. Their accountant, Peter Tarantino, is also accused of conspiracy to defraud the United States and two counts of aiding the filing of a false tax return.
“You know we stand in our faith and we stand for what we know is right,” Todd said to reporters Wednesday afternoon. “You know our family will stick together, walk this rope because we know God will take our hand and take us through.”
Although Lindsie’s relationship with Todd and the rest of the family is estranged, Todd’s son Kyle, who was previously estranged, said in a Facebook post Wednesday that he has strengthened his relationship with Todd and the family and fully supports them through the legal drama.
The 27-year-old wrote that everything he said in an interview he gave with Good Morning America last year in which he said Todd bragged about not having to pay taxes “was a lie.”
“These allegations against my dad are all LIES!” he wrote, blaming previous claims he made about his father’s taxes on a drug addiction.
He further explained that he is now sober and has been able to mend his relationship with his family. “My mom [Julie Chrisley] and dad raised me,” he continued. “I haven’t been the best dad to Chloe [whom his parents are now raising], I’ve had a problem with drugs, I’ve acted completely ridiculous and through all that they have stood by my side. 9 months ago I went to my dad with an apology. His words were ‘I love you always, and you are forgiven’ and just like that I was welcomed back into his life with open arms. I will be forever grateful for his love [and] graciousness.”
He continued: “I will continue to stand as a united front alongside my mom, my dad, and the rest of my family. My hope is that my sister Lindsie will seek the same forgiveness from my daddy as I have, that he is able to forgive her, and that my family will one day be whole again.”
He claimed his sister Lindsie and his biological mom Teresa Terry spoke to authorities about Todd and Julie. “About a year and a half ago my biological mom and my sister, Lindsie were responsible for turning my dad in to the Georgia Department of Revenue for Tax evasion,” he wrote, explaining that his “rocky” relationship with Todd at the time was “used to their advantage.”
“I was battling drug addiction and I felt like he [was] trying to control me so when they said if he’s locked up he can’t put you back in treatment I said okay,” he said. “I should have said NO!”
If convicted, the Chrisleys could face as many as 30 years in prison for their accumulated crimes.
Photo credit: Frederick M. Brown / Stringer / Getty
