November 23, 2022
Michael Zweiback — a partner and co-founder of the Los Angeles-based law firm, Zweiback, Fiset & Zalduendo — told Nicki Swift exclusively that reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley arguably played their cards wrong. Zweiback explained, “These are very stiff sentences, and I’m sure the Chrisleys were anticipating something much lower. They never took responsibility for the crimes that were alleged. They blamed them on other people.”
As Zweiback elaborated, owning up to the charges is meaningful in more ways than one. He commented, “The judge has to consider whether this is someone who is going to do this again, and they’re more inclined to believe the person won’t do it again if they acknowledge their bad deeds.” Zweiback also expressed that the Chrisleys’ lifestyle — at least as it was portrayed on television — was not reality, and he believes the couple is “going to be broke” financially going forward. “I expect a huge restitutionary judgment. In tax cases, there are also tax penalties for fraud that are imposed as well, because there is both a civil and criminal component so I expect the restitution and tax penalty is going to be extremely significant, and the banks are going to go after whatever assets remain,” he said.
Finally, on the topic of the judge not staggering the sentences, as was done for Joe and Theresa Giudice, per Bravo, Zweiback stated, “Had they both pleaded guilty, it probably would have been a very different outcome. Their strategy completely backfired on them and failed in every respect.”
