PENSACOLA — Disgraced reality TV star Todd Chrisley has been reportedly fired from his prison job − and he was “disappointed and emotionally offended,” according to his lawyer.
Jay Surgent, who represents Todd and Julie Chrisley, told NBC’s “Today” show that Todd Chrisley was recently removed from his job at Federal Prison Center Pensacola in Florida, where he’s serving time after being found guilty of tax evasion and defrauding community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans.
Todd Chrisley, 56, had volunteered “as an assistant to the chaplain at FPC Pensacola for nearly two years and oversaw the setup of Christian, Jewish and Muslim services,” Surgent said in a today.com story, adding his client was “disappointed and emotionally offended” after being removed “without cause” from the role. Surgent told “Today” that Todd Chrisley “no longer has access to the chapel office where he volunteered.”
Surgent said was removed from his position due to “associating with inmates” who are part of the prison’s Residential Drug Abuse Program.
The news comes weeks after fellow “Chrisley Knows Best” star Julie Chrisley returned to Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. For about a month, the reality TV star was in the custody of the U.S. Marshals as she traveled to and from her resentencing hearings in Atlanta, Georgia.
The celebrity couple were found guilty in June 2022 for tax evasion and bank fraud.
They began their respective sentences at FMC Lexington and FPC Pensacola in January 2023.
A Federal Bureau of Prisons record check on Oct. 29, 2024, shows Todd Chrisley’s release date June 26, 2032, less than the 12-year sentence he received. A prison record check for Julie Chrisley shows her release date of April 22, 2028, less than the seven-year sentence she had received.
Was Todd Chrisley fired from his Florida prison job?
The lawyer who represents reality TV star Todd Chrisley, Jay Surgent, told the “Today” show that Todd Chrisley was “removed from his position because he was ‘communicating with people that had been admitted into’ the prison’s Residential Drug Abuse Program,” adding “no ‘real reason’ for the dismissal was provided, but they believe dismissal came because RDAP participants have ‘access to the outside.'”
Surgent also told “Today” that Todd Chrisley held the prison chaplain job for two years and that the “According to Chrisley” star requested to be moved to another facility.
What happened to Julie and Todd Chrisley? Why are Todd and Julie Chrisley in prison?
In June 2022, Todd and Julie Chrisley were found guilty of tax evasion and defrauding community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans.
In January 2023, the Chrisleys traded their luxurious lifestyle for prison. While Julie Chrisley, 51, is serving time at FMC Lexington, the 56-year-old Todd Chrisley is serving time at FPC Pensacola, described on its site as a “minimum security federal prison camp.” The couple was sentenced to 7 and 12 years, respectively.
A check on the Federal Bureau of Prisons website shows Todd Chrisley will be released June 26, 2032, more than two years earlier than his original 12-year sentence.
Who are Todd and Julie Chrisley?
Before Julie and Todd Chrisley became residents of federal prisons in Kentucky and Florida, the pair were best known for their reality show “Chrisley Knows Best.”
In the USA Network docuseries, the couple portrayed themselves as real estate tycoons, and viewers got a peek into their lavish lifestyle in the suburbs of Atlanta and Nashville. The show drew in more than 2 million viewers by its eighth season. Todd Chrisley has two children with his first wife, high school sweetheart Teresa Terry, and three children with his second wife, Julie.
On the show, Todd Chrisley doesn’t shy away from sex talk, even giving The Sex Talk to his kids − on national TV. In 2017, Todd Chrisley made headlines after he called his 72-year-old mom out on TV for sexting, and he’s addressed speculation that he’s gay.
By JENNIFER SANGALANG/USA Today