There are a lot of celebrity cases that have been playing out in court in recent weeks from Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's defamation trial to Josh Duggar's sentencing. Among these was the Chrisley bank fraud trial, which came with a slew of allegations, including alleged overspending and a gay love affair. One week after Todd Chrisley’s former business partner alleged he'd been involved with the Chrisley Knows Best star, his lawyer responded to the rumors during closing arguments.
What Todd Chrisley’s Former Partner Said About Their Relationship In Court
In order to get to what was said during closing arguments, we first really need to dive into the courts over a week ago, when Mark Braddock, a former business partner of Todd Chrisley’s spoke out in court. Braddock said on the stand that he and Chrisley had an affair together and even paid off a blackmailer who allegedly was going to publicly rat them out. For Chrisley’s part in things, his lawyer said in opening statements that Braddock had been “obsessed” with the reality star and had lied about things, even perjuring himself.
Intriguingly, this isn’t the first time rumors about Todd Chrisley’s sexual orientation had rolled around. The Chrisley Knows Best star once openly addressed the rumors, calling them “flattering” during an appearance on The Domenick Nati Show but was seemingly fine with the curiosity the topic had generated, noting,
In order for it to disappoint me, it would mean that I don’t agree with someone being gay. I don’t believe that’s a choice that you make. I believe that you are the way that God has made you.
He also said at the time that Julie, his wife since 1996, was “flattered” men were interested in him as well as women, joking he’d “never have a drought.” Then the bank fraud trial came around and the topic of his sexual orientation came up again.
What Todd Chrisley’s Lawyer Said About The Rumors In Closing Statements During The Bank Fraud Trial
To also note, Mark Braddock, again Chrisley’s former business partner, has been noted to be the person to originally turn the family into the FBI after being fired in 2012, though Todd has alleged their financial situation is due to Braddock. Allegations of bank fraud and tax evasion arose after the reality stars apparently took out loans to live an extravagant lifestyle and then used new loans to pay the old loans.
Meanwhile, in closing arguments, Todd Chrisley’s lawyer painted a different picture. According to attorney Bruce Morris, the picture that Mark Braddock painted about Todd Chrisley, blackmail and an affair was “fantasy.” In fact, he went further to explain that Braddock has admitted to perjury in the past, and is the person responsible for yielding the documents to the government that seemingly implicated Todd and Julie Chrisley in the bank fraud scams. Bruce Morris is quoted as saying:
I suggest to you that Mark Braddock is the very picture of reasonable doubt.
The case gets even more convoluted as the Assistant U.S. District Attorney, Thomas Krepp, seemingly agreed in his own closing argument (via Insider) stating “you shouldn’t trust Mark Braddock,” who has also been accused of impersonating Todd Chrisley and others on the phone, as well as lying to the FBI. However, he argued the records regarding the Chrisleys and the bank fraud charges speak for themselves.
Outbursts and viral moments at the Chrisley trial were notable, but the case commenced, and the jury went into deliberations on Friday. Todd and Julie Chrisley have been indicted on five counts of bank fraud, one count of tax fraud, and then single counts each of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to defraud the U.S.. If found guilty, they could face up to 30 years in prison. Todd and Julie Chrisley are well-known, having appeared on Chrisley Knows Best since 2014.
