Todd and Julie Chrisley sue ex-lawyers for $25M over alleged mistakes in tax evasion trial... after their convictions were pardoned by Trump

Todd and Julie Chrisley have sued their former legal team for 'in excess of $25 million' over what they say were critical mistakes that led to their 2022 convictions on  federal bank fraud and tax evasion charges in Georgia.

The Chrisleys said in a June 5 complaint filed in the Northern District Of Georgia's Atlanta Division that their former lawyer Chris Anulewicz, and his one-time law firm Balch & Bingham, made 'a catastrophic, unforced error' in their work on the case.

The legal team failed to flag to the court the prosecution's use of illegally-obtained evidence in the trial, the Chrisleys said in their complaint.

As a result, the couple said they were sent 'to federal prison for crimes they would never have been convicted of had their lawyers done their jobs,' costing them an estimated $25 million in income, their TV show and their reputations. 

Attorney Patrick O’Connor, who is representing Balch & Bingham, told the Daily Mail that 'this complaint will be vigorously defended.'

The Chrisleys were ultimately pardoned by President Donald Trump in May of 2025 in connection with their convictions in orchestrating a $30 million bank fraud and tax evasion scheme.

The Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Todd, Julie and Savannah Chrisley, as well as Chris Anulewicz, for further comment on this story.

An unlawful probe of a warehouse conducted by the Georgia Department of Revenue prior to their August 2019 indictment provided prosecutors with evidence such as emails and bank statements that was a key part of the case, Todd and Julie Chrisley said in their complaint.  

The Chrisleys said in their complaint that their former legal team was able to persuade the judge to toss some, but not all of the 'derivative evidence' gathered illegally by authorities.

Investigators did not have a warrant to search the warehouse in the first place, the reality stars said in their filing.

The firms and attorneys named in the complaint misrepresented themselves in terms of experience and capability, the Chrisleys said in legal docs.

They said Balch & Bingham misleadingly 'held itself out as capable of defending Todd and Julie Chrisley in one of the most consequential federal criminal prosecutions in the country.'

Anulewicz 'had no meaningful defense experience' heading into the legal proceedings, the Chrisleys said in their complaint.

A partner in the firm at the time, Anulewicz was permitted to spearhead their defense 'because the Chrisley name meant money, publicity, and the kind of high-profile notoriety that brings in business,' the reality stars said in court docs.

Anulewicz also 'found time to steer the Chrisleys into a $75,000 investment in his brother-in-law's startup food truck business - exploiting his position as their attorney to benefit himself and his family while neglecting his duty to them,' the Chrisleys said in the complaint. 

Following their convictions, Todd and Julie Chrisley were sentenced to a collective 17 years in custody and began serving them in January of 2023.

Todd had been serving a 12-year sentence (which was later reduced to 10 years)  while Julie was serving a seven-year sentence, at prisons in Florida and Kentucky respectively, prior to their pardons.

Their daughter Savannah successfully campaigned for their early release, with Trump personally calling her to inform her of his bombshell decision to grant a pardon to her parents.

Todd last year was asked during a news conference whether he feels any remorse over his conviction.

He replied, 'I would have remorse if it was something that I did. The corruption that went on in our case is going to continue to unfold.'