Reality star Savannah Chrisley has admitted to frivolous spending before her parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, were sentenced to a combined 19 years in federal prison for bank and tax fraud.
In a new interview with ETOnline, Savannah opened up about her past regrets and the changes she has made now that she is responsible for her younger siblings, Grayson Chrisley and Chloe Chrisley.
“I will make no bones about it; I spent my money like it was never ever gonna go away,” she confessed. “I never thought it was gonna go away.”
“When you’re in a single-income household, you do whatever you have to,” Savannah continued. “I feel like God never gives you more than you can bear. I feel like what is happening right now is exactly what I needed to not be this spoiled, entitled, whatever, because what’s happening now is testing who I am as a person. It took away a lot of things. For about a year, anything work-wise disappeared.”
Todd and Julie were both convicted of tax evasion and financial fraud last year and began their prison sentences in January. The couple’s accountant, Peter Tarantino, was also convicted of filing fraudulent tax forms on their behalf.
The famous couple had built a reality-tv empire, with two TV shows, Chrisley Knows Best and spinoff series Growing Up Chrisley, and various outside ventures, including podcasts and sponsorship deals. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Todd and Julie are each worth $1.5 million, but that only shows part of the picture. The couples’ funds have fluctuated over the years, which is what led to the IRS investigation.
In 2012, Todd filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, listing $4.2 million in assets against $49.4 million in debt, including mortgage payments, back taxes, and a loan from Julie.
According to the Department of Justice, Todd’s debt was a result of spending money “on luxury cars, designer clothes, real estate, and travel—and used new fraudulent loans to pay back old ones.” Following the bankruptcy filing, the Chrisleys walked away with $20 million and soon after began their reality shows.
Savannah has previously spoken about her parents’ time in prison, claiming that they have been subject to “inhumane” conditions. In her new interview with ETOnline, she said she is worried her mom and dad will be picked on because of her speaking out.
“Someone reached out to me, and they were like, ‘You better be careful, because by you saying these things, these guards could potentially place contraband on your mother or father to have them shipped to a higher security prison,’” she claimed. “For me, that’s worrisome because there’s so much government overreach.”
“It’s so hard because it creates so much uproar, but my goal is to not create this divide, it’s to create love,” she added. “At the end of the day, these people are not their mistakes.”
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
