When it comes to the law, do former reality show stars and pardoned felons Todd and Julie Chrisley know best? According to a lawsuit filed in federal court on June 8, 2026, they think so.
The couple, who starred in a long-running reality series about the Chrisley family before being sent to federal prison in 2022 for crimes that included bank fraud and tax evasion, are suing their former defense attorney, Chris Anulewicz. The Chrisleys accuse Anulewicz of legal malpractice and neglecting his duty for his alleged mishandling of the admissibility of evidence gathered during a state-led 2017 raid on one of the Chrisleys’ storage lockers.
The Chrisleys' previous attorneys successfully argued that the state agency improperly seized documents and physical property without first securing a valid judicial search warrant. Ultimately, the state charges against the Chrisleys were resolved for around $150k.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. According to the lawsuit, federal agents opened their investigation based on information from that unconstitutional search and then obtained search warrants for specific records, including materials from the Chrisleys’ email accounts. This ultimately led to a much more successful case against the Chrisleys, with both ending up in prison.
The Chrisleys were then pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2025 after a campaign by their daughter Savannah. They are now reportedly seeking $25 million in damages and attorneys’ fees for their legal malpractice claims. If the Chrisleys were still doing their TV show, they’d have plenty of new material to look forward to.
From Prime Time to Prison Time
Todd and Julie Chrisley parlayed their success as realtors into the cable TV show “Chrisley Knows Best.” Focusing on their family, their religious beliefs, and an extravagant lifestyle, it ran until the middle of its ninth season and might still be on if not for a bit of a legal problem. In 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed charges against the Chrisleys, accusing them of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit tax evasion. Todd was the ringleader of a bevy of false tax returns, the use of false information to secure bank loans, and the use of loan funds he had no intention of repaying to fuel their lavish lifestyle. He later declared bankruptcy to avoid repaying the loans, and he also failed to file tax returns or pay taxes for four years.
A federal jury convicted them in 2022, with Todd receiving a 12-year sentence. Julie, who was also found guilty of obstruction of justice, was given a seven-year sentence. Their accountant, who did not receive a pardon, was also sentenced to be imprisoned for three years. Their convictions were upheld on appeal.
In the run-up to the 2024 elections, their daughter waged an extremely public campaign on her podcast “Unlocked With Savannah Chrisley” to get her parents pardoned, including beseeching then-candidate Trump during an appearance she made at the Republican National Convention. President Trump granted her wish in May 2025, claiming that the Chrisleys were “victims of political bias,” despite the 2019 DOJ investigation into their crimes beginning while he had been in office.
After being released, the Chrisleys starred in an eight-episode reality miniseries chronicling their new lives.
A Matter of Suppression
The lawsuit alleges that the 2017 search, which yielded documents that helped the subsequent federal investigation and conviction, violated the Fourth Amendment. The Chrisleys argue Anulewicz was responsible for failing to get the evidence suppressed. The Chrisleys contend that Anulewicz lacked “actual criminal defense competence,” while also accusing Balch & Bingham of supplying them with a deficient attorney. According to the filing, the results of his failure to have the evidence excluded were “catastrophic.” They argue the federal case was built from that illegal search, and that it’s possible much of the evidence could have been suppressed as “fruit of the poisonous tree.”
According to his bio, Anulewicz has nearly 30 years of experience in white-collar criminal defense. He has received several awards and recognitions during that time. Balch & Bingham have not provided details, but have said they will vigourously defend against the claim. It's possible that they will argue that much of the government’s case was admissible under standard exceptions to the fruit‑of‑the‑poisonous‑tree doctrine.
To win their lawsuit, the Chrisleys will have to prove that Anulewicz was negligent. The burden falls on them to prove that Anulewicz did more than just make a mistake, and that an average lawyer would have succeeded where he failed. They’ll also need to show that having this evidence excluded would have made a difference. Federal prosecutors did have significant other evidence, including testimony from Mark Braddock, Todd Chrisley’s former business partner and employee.
I could be that, once again, a federal jury will decide whether the Chrisleys do indeed know best.
