Chrisley Knows Best Stars Charged With Tax Evasion

A federal grand jury in Atlanta on Tuesday indicted reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley on charges including tax evasion, alleging among other things that they tried to hide their income from Chrisley Knows Best from the IRS. The 12-count indictment also accuses the pair of conspiracy, bank fraud, and wire fraud, the AP reports. Todd Chrisley, in a lengthy Instagram post released Monday, a day before the indictment was announced, denied any wrongdoing and said the charges stem from a dispute with an unidentified former employee who stole from the family and then brought phony documents to authorities accusing the Chrisleys of financial crimes in an effort to retaliate for being fired.

Chrisley Knows Best follows the tight-knit, boisterous family living in the Nashville area. Much of the series emphasizes Todd Chrisley's obsessive yet comedic efforts to keep tabs on three of his kids, two of whom are in their 20s, and his mother. The series has aired on USA for seven seasons and recently premiered a spinoff called Growing Up Chrisley, featuring his kids Chase and Savannah, who move to Los Angeles. Todd Chrisley also briefly hosted a talk show, According to Chrisley, for the network. Todd, 51, and Julie Chrisley, 46, also have a podcast called "Chrisley Confessions." Accountant Peter Tarantino, 56, was charged with helping the Chrisleys hide income and lie about their tax returns, according to the indictment. (Much more on the charges here.)