The federal trial against reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley began on Monday.
The Chrisleys are accused of bank fraud and tax evasion.
The trial is still in its early stages, but shocking updates have come to light.
The co-conspirator of Todd Chrisley once sent a financial statement that showed he had millions of dollars in a bank account.
A financial statement showing that Chrisley had $4 million in a Merrill Lynch bank account was included in an email sent to a bank by a co-conspirator.
Chrisley did not have an account with Merrill Lynch at that time. He never had more than $17,000 on deposit when he opened an account with the financial institution in 2008.
As a result of false representations like these, a number of banks issued the conspirators millions of dollars in loans, much of which Todd and Julie Chrisley used for their own personal benefit.
The Chrisleys burned through loans to purchase luxury items.
Annalise Peters said in her opening statement that the Chrisleys submitted fake documents that implied they had more wealth than they actually did, and that they received $30 million in loans on luxury items.
Peters told the jury that they made up documents and lied to get what they wanted.
Peters claims that the Chrisleys hid money from the IRS.
An attorney for Todd Chrisley said the couple exaggerated some aspects of their lifestyle.
Chrisley has made several bold claims about his spending over the years, including that he paid over $1 million in taxes per year.
It is part of the sizzle. It is part of the show. Bruce Morris told the jury that it was all part of the act. According to Morris, Chrisley was in debt when he made the claim about his wardrobe budget.
Morris said that the ex-employee who turned them in was obsessed with Todd and wanted to be him.
Bruce Morris argued that Mark Braddock did everything he could to live like Todd, including buying one of Chrisley's former homes.
Morris argued that the ex-employee went to the FBI for protection and revenge after Chrisley fired him.
The Chrisleys continued to lie to get bank loans and avoid taxes even after they were fired, according to the defense.
The woman who made the Chrisleys famous was a previous employee who owed him money.
Annie Kate Pons, a producer on Chrisley Knows Best, testified that she met Todd Chrisley in Los Angeles in 2009. She moved to LA to work in TV.
She testified that she met with Todd Chrisley because he had plans to open a luxury department store.
Pons said she was trying to sell baby clothes to Chrisley. He offered her a job as a buyer for the store after he didn't buy them.
She flew to New York during fashion week to try and find designers for the store that never came to fruition.
Pon tried to get Chrisley to pay up, but she couldn't.
She said that it never came.
Pons pitched a reality show in the name of the Chrisley family when he was working in TV. The show was sold to the USA Network.
Pons testified that she only worked on the show for one season, but will be credited as a producer for the lifetime of the show, which will bring in $200,000 a year.
The original article can be found on Insider.
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