- Attorneys gave closing arguments Friday in the fraud trial of Todd and Julie Chrisley.
- The Chrisleys' attorneys said Mark Braddock, who turned them into FBI, was the reasonable doubt they need.
- An attorney for the Chrisleys' accountant, who is also charged, argued his messiness isn't a crime.
A claim by Todd Chrisley's ex-business partner that they had an affair that lasted between six months and a year is pure "fantasy," Chrisley's attorney said in his closing arguments on Friday.
Mark Braddock, the man who alerted the FBI to Todd and Julie Chrisley's finances, is an admitted liar, and the fact that the government used documents he provided them in the celebrity couple's bank and tax fruad trial is enough to find them not guilty, attorney Bruce Morris told the Atlanta federal jury.
"I suggest to you that Mark Braddock is the very picture of reasonable doubt," he said Friday.
Federal prosecutors have accused Todd and his wife, Julie Chrisley, who star in the USA Network reality series "Chrisley Knows Best," of evading taxes and operating a conspiracy to defraud banks by making it appear that they were wealthier than they were.
When the banks caught on to them, the Chrisleys filed for bankruptcy, walking away from $20 million in debt. The couple went on to hide money from the IRS, prosecutors say.
Then, when the IRS caught on, Julie Chrisley obstructed justice by providing a sham document to the Grand Jury, prosecutors say.
The couple's attorney, Peter Tarantino, is charged with aiding in the couple's conspiracy to avoid their financial obligations.
All three defendants have denied the charges against them. If they're convicted, they face up to 30 years in prison.
Morris leaned into the fact that the government's case heavily relied on emails that were provided by Braddock, who has admitted to perjuring himself in the past.
The emails showed Todd and Julie Chrisley directing Braddock to manipulate documents before loan applications were sent to banks.
"If the emails produced by Mark Braddock really existed, AOL would have produced them," he said.
Additionally, Morris noted the absence of AOL or experts in electronic communication to testify about their authenticity.
Attorneys say Braddock is dangerous and twisted
Braddock was "obsessed" with Todd Chrisley and wanted to be him, Morris said Friday and in opening statements.
In 2021, an investigator discovered a Telegram profile connected to Mark Braddock's phone number. It bore Mark Braddock's photo and the name "Mark Chrisley."
Mark Braddock admitted that he manipulated many financial records, lied to the FBI, and impersonated Todd Chrisley and others on the phone and in email for personal gain and for the benefit of the Chrisleys.
Ultimately he ratted the couple out in an effort to protect himself and seek out vengeance, he testified.
Despite all these crimes, Braddock was offered immunity from prosecution in 2012, before the Chrisleys were famous, in exchange for his cooperation in the case.
"Mark Braddock is a dangerous person. He is a scary person," Julie Chrisley's attorney Christopher Anulewicz said. "He is a twisted person."
Attorney Daniel Patrick Griffin, who is representing Tarantino, tried to show the jury that his client made many efforts to help the IRS get their due taxes from the Chrisleys, and actually assisted in getting some tax bills paid.
Tarantino, though, was in over his head when it came to taking on the Chrisleys as clients, he said.
"Being messy, falling behind in your work, not understanding a deduction, not being the best accountant around doesn't make Peter Tarantino a criminal," he said.
The fraud continued after Braddock and the Chrisleys were 'dead to each other'
Assistant US Attorney Thomas Krepp told the jury on Friday that Braddock is in fact "a criminal."
"You should hate the fact that Mark Braddock got immunity. You shouldn't like that," he said. "You shouldn't trust Mark Braddock."
He said the jury should, however, trust the other records and testimony from witnesses that prove Todd Chrisley was the ringleader of the fraud that Braddock carried out.
The couple continued to apply for loans using manipulated documents long after Braddock was fired in 2012 and out of the picture, he said.
Motivated by greed
The Chrisleys didn't have to commit fraud to enjoy a privileged life, but they did it anyway, Krepp said.
"Todd and Julie Chrisley made good money in the real estate foreclosure business, but that wasn't enough for them," Krepp told the jury. "Because of their greed, they had to have more. And for what, Todd's cross country trips to get his hair cut?"
The prosecution reiterated that Chrisleys manipulated financial records, bank loan applications, and tax information to get whatever they wanted in that moment.
Krepp went over a handful of records that showed the couple was aware of their duty to pay the IRS Todd Chrisley's $500,000 2009 tax bill.
He also, once again, brought up a 2017 interview Todd Chrisley gave on the radio.
"Todd Chrisley had the arrogance to go on the radio and say, 'Obviously the federal government loves my tax returns because I pay $750,000 to $1 million a year...'"
That, Krepp said, was a bold face lie.
Tarantino may not be the public face of the fraud trial, but he played a willing role in the scheme, Krepp noted.
He told lies to the IRS, including saying he didn't know where Todd Chrisley banked or where he earned his income, Krepp said.
"In this country it doesn't matter if you're a self-made millionaire, it doesn't matter if you're a highly trained accountant, and it certainly doesn't matter if you're a reality television star," he said. "The law is the law."
The Chrisleys each face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Todd Chrisley and the couple's daughter Savannah — who has been in the courtroom throughout the trial — cried as Judge Eleanor Ross instructed the jury on the charges.
Jurors began deliberating around 2 p.m. on Friday.
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