Julie Chrisley's Heartbreaking Prison Letters Detail Pain Amid Distance From Todd

Savannah Chrisley is sharing a look at her parents' life behind bars. 

More than a year after Julie Chrisley and Todd Chrisley began their respective prison sentences for bank fraud and tax evasion—Todd in Florida and Julie in Kentucky—their daughter is detailing their struggles behind bars with the letters they send her.

"I miss Todd so much that it hurts. I've never gone this long without talking to him," Savannah read from Julie's letter in a Feb. 28 YouTube video. "So many people know us here, so they're always talking about him, which I love but it still makes me sad too." 

In her letter, Julie—also mom to Grayson, 17 and Chase, 27—detailed the moments leading up to she and Todd parting ways for their respective sentences: Todd for a now-reduced 10-year sentence, Julie for a reduced 5 years. 

"I knew my life was about to change forever," the 51-year-old, who began her sentence in Jan. 2023, wrote to Savannah, 26. "My husband and I stood in our bedroom right in front of our prayer bench and said our goodbyes. We hugged, we kissed and we prayed before he walked out the door heading to Pensacola, Florida."

She continued, "This would be the last time I would speak to my husband face to face. We talked on the phone during his ride to Pensacola, I called one last time before I self surrendered to the camp in Lexington." 

Julie also remembered her own drive to prison, accompanied by her eldest son Chase and a good friend. 

"I could not wrap my head around the fact that I was going to be separated from my husband and children for what seems like a lifetime," she wrote. "We turned onto the road that the prison is located, passing white vans with paparazzi in them. My family said their goodbyes and I walked into prison with nothing but the clothes on my back." 

In June 2022, the Chrisleys were found guilty on 12 counts, which included charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Recently, the couple was awarded a $1 million settlement in January from the state of Georgia after suing former special investigator Joshua Waites for misconduct in his handling of their investigation. 

"We have been saying for months that the criminal case against the Chrisleys was highly unusual and had real problems," the family's lawyer Alex Little shared in a statement with E! News at the time. "This settlement is an encouraging sign. It's nearly unprecedented for one arm of the government to pay money to defendants when another arm is fighting to keep them in jail."

And while Todd and Julie are only a year into their sentences, Savannah knows they have a long journey ahead. 

"I can just feel her hurt through these messages," she said of the letters. "Sure, there's some funny things in here, mom's trying to make jokes, trying to make light of it, but like this is her life now. And it's so different than obviously what it was before, in just the emotional aspect of it of having to miss your family so much."

Keep reading for some of the sweetest Chrisley family photos over the years. 

Chrisley Knows Best stars Julie Chrisley and Todd Chrisley smiled for a professional photo together in 2016.

Todd and Julie were pictured along with Faye Chrisley, Chase Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley, Chloe Chrisley and Grayson Chrisley ahead of season eight of their reality show.

The spouses attended the 2014 Television Critics Association summer press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. in 2014. 

The pair hit the red carpet for the 2017 Academy Of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas.

Lindsie Chrisley—whose parents are Todd and Teresa Terry—joined her dad, Savannah and Julie at the 2015 Concert For Love And Acceptance at City Winery Nashville.

Savannah and Chase snapped a pic together in 2019 for E! News' Daily Pop.

The couple appeared with granddaughter Chloe, who they adopted, on the "Build A Baby" episode in 2020.

Todd and Julie appeared with their daughter Savannah on Hollywood Game Night in 2018 for the "Chrisley's Believe It Or Not" episode.

The real estate mogul and his daughter were among the stars at the 2016 Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas.

Todd and Julie kept their kids Savannah and Chase close at the 2015 NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Upfront in New York City.

Todd and Julie were spotted at the 2019 grand opening of E3 Chophouse Nashville in Nashville, Tenn.

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