'Absolutely Ridiculous': Todd and Julie Chrisley's Attorney Argues Clients' 'Constitutional Rights Have Been Violated' in Fraud Case
Todd and Julie Chrisley's lawyer hasn't given up the fight over the conviction for his clients' financial crimes.
Legal mind Jay Surgent offered an update on how the case has progressed after both Julie and Todd began their respective prison sentences in January. Noting he and the reality stars "don't know yet" what's to come, Jay revealed they "did our final filings" again last week.
Amid the controversial couple's appeals process, Jay explained to a news outlet: "The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals can reverse the District Court, or they could remand the case back for hearings that should have been held that were not held during the course of this trial."
"We argued very vigorously that their constitutional rights have been violated, and that they basically were not given a fair hearing," he continued. "It's all in black and white, actually."
Todd and Julie were sentenced in November 2022 to a combined 19 years in prison for fraud. The patriarch is serving out his 12-year sentence at Florida's Federal Prison Camp Pensacola, while his wife is spending the next six and a half years at The Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Ky.
The couple began appealing their case in December 2022, and it is unclear when a decision will be made.
Jay argued that both Todd and Julie are "living in squalor in 100-degree temperatures because of what the governor has decided to do to them," alleging: "Their living conditions — both of them, he in Pensacola, she in Lexington, Kentucky — it's an absolutely ridiculous situation."
The horrible conditions Todd is facing led him to file an application for home confinement, to no avail. His case is now being investigated internally after his application was rejected.
- Julie Chrisley Cries and Apologizes to Her Kids at Resentencing Before 84-Month Prison Stint Gets Upheld
- Savannah Chrisley Blasts 'Rogue Prosecutors' for Accusing Her Jailbird Parents Todd and Julie 'of Fraud' During RNC Speech
- Savannah Chrisley Reveals Visiting Her Parents Todd and Julie in Prison Hasn't 'Gotten Easier' Over Time: 'I Think I Was Lying to Myself'
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Jay noted, "Not that we're saying that they deserve special treatment because they're celebrities. They don't," clarifying: "What we're saying is that they, along with other inmates, deserve better treatment. We shouldn't be treating our prisoners the way we're treating our prisoners at this point in time."
The partner at Weiner Law Group LLP who specializes in white-collar crime previously noted that Todd is being mistreated in prison over his celebrity status, revealing his client believes he is being photographed while sleeping. As OK! reported, Jay told another outlet that Todd also hasn't been receiving any of his mail because he believes someone is destroying it.
People spoke to the couple's lawyer about the appeal process.