Locked-up reality star Todd Chrisley is struggling with anxiety amid his 12-year prison sentence for bank and tax fraud, according to his attorney.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Todd’s lawyer Jay Surgent said of his client, “He’s still very energetic, but I think he’s suffering from anxiety in not knowing what’s happening on the outside with his case.”
Todd and his wife, Julie Chrisley, were convicted in June 2022 on tax evasion and bank fraud charges. In January 2023, Todd reported to Florida’s Federal Prison Camp Pensacola to begin his 12-year sentence, while Julie started her seven-year sentence at Kentucky’s Federal Medical Center in Lexington.
The Chrisley Knows Best stars are working on appealing their sentences and convictions, but the process has been arduous and, according to Surgent, a major cause of Todd’s anxiety.
“I think [Todd is] frustrated with the legal system in general, as far as how long it takes to get anything processed — from getting mail to being able to make phone calls to having his case processed on appeal,” Surgent told the LA Times. “Everything is delay, delay, delay and it’s very frustrating to him.”
Surgent also revealed Todd’s issues with privacy while behind bars. He claimed that people at the prison have taken photos of Todd in his sleep and that his client has to exercise in a private space “because if he goes outside the facility… there’s paparazzi out there trying to take pictures of him.”
He added that Todd lives a “neutralized existence,” which consists of eating his daily meals, occasionally watching TV, and speaking with other inmates.
Last month, Todd and Julie’s children, Savannah and Chase Chrisley, shared details of their parents’ prison conditions during an episode of Savannah’s Unlocked podcast. They claimed that the prisons have no air conditioning, bad plumbing, potential mold, lack of water, and even snakes at Julie’s facility in Kentucky.
Responding to the claims, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons told the LA Times, “We can assure you all AICs have unlimited access to drinking water and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is monitoring the ventilation at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Pensacola and the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Lexington, as one of our highest priorities is the safety of BOP employees and AICs.”
