When Todd Chrisley Claimed He Was Photographed in Jail While Sleeping to Blackmail Daughter Savannah
Todd Chrisley faced threats to his life, something that shook his entire family. Todd discussed life in prison for the first time since he started serving a term for bank fraud and tax evasion in an interview with NewsNation's Brian Entin.
While he faces issues like food and hygiene, the reality star shared the concerns, even referring to life and death matters. During the phone chat, which was facilitated by Todd's attorney, the TV personality said that he was the target of a scheme to blackmail him at his minimum-security jail. "There was a photograph taken of me while I was sleeping and sent to my daughter," he alleged, "asking for $2,600 a month for my protection," reports Insider.
The 54-year-old was found guilty last year of cheating banks out of over $30 million and concealing funds from the IRS, together with his 50-year-old wife, Julie Chrisley. A total of 19 years were imposed on the couple, reports E! News. While Julie, whom he married in 1996, started serving her term at a different federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky, he reported to his jail, Pensacola Federal Prison Camp, Florida, in January.
In a July interview with TMZ, Todd's attorney, Jay Surgent, made a similar allegation, saying he thought someone had taken a picture of him while he was asleep. He made no mention of the photo that had been given to one of Todd's children.
Todd even opened up about other conditions in the prison: "The food is dated," the Chrisley Knows Best star shared. "It's a year past expiration." He said that employees are mistreating him to "humble him." Todd also claimed that prison staff fed convicts "disgustingly filthy" food that had supposedly come into contact with wild animals, "literally starving" them.
"You've got rats; you've got squirrels in the storage facility where the food is," he claimed. "They just covered it up with plastic and then tore the ceiling out because of all the black mold and found a dead cat in the ceiling, and it dropped down on the top of the food."
While Todd and Julie are in jail trying to get their convictions overturned, their 26-year-old daughter Savannah Chrisley is taking care of their 17-year-old son Grayson and their 11-year-old granddaughter Chloe. "That has been really tough," Savannah shared during a recent episode of her Unlocked podcast, "especially going to visit Mom and Dad and being in a relationship and feeling like I want something for myself at times."
She added, "I have this layer of guilt that weights over me, like, 'Oh my gosh, you have to go and see them. Like, how selfish of you?' I'm the angel on one side and the devil on the other, and just this constant battle of feeling what I'm doing isn't enough."
Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 16, 2023. It has since been updated.
