DANCE Moms’ Abby Lee Miller has revealed Todd Chrisley’s shocking email to her before he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The Chrisley Knows Best star turned himself into custody at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in Florida on January 18, where he’s serving his 12-year sentence for fraud and tax evasion.
GettyJulie and Todd Chrisley are currently serving their prison sentences at prisons in Kentucky and Florida, respectively[/caption]
John Chapple for The US SunEx-prisoner Abby Lee Miller shared her thoughts on the Chrisleys exclusively with The U.S. Sun[/caption]
His wife, Julie Chrisley, is also in prison – serving her time at Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky – but was sentenced to a shorter term of seven years.
The U.S. Sun caught up with ex-prisoner Abby Lee Miller, who shared her thoughts on the Chrisleys.
“I used to DM him all the time, and he never responded. Never responded,” Abby told The U.S. Sun, referring to DMs she sent to Todd, 53, since she was a fan of his show.
“Then, all of a sudden, I get this big, long email saying, ‘I didn’t know people could send me messages. I never looked at these DMs. I didn’t even know what this is about. I’m so sorry I never got back to you.’
“Well, he was always going on about financial institutions and people that were coming after him, his local government – always talking about that, which I found odd.”
The Chrisleys were first indicted by a Georgia grand jury in 2019. Their accountant Peter Tarantino was also charged with several financial crimes.
“When this was all brewing, I thought, you know, something is up because if the government’s investigating you, you don’t know it,” Abby added.
“When I was indicted by the U.S. government, it came as a complete whoosh, smack in the face. I had no clue that I had done anything wrong. And I say that I still don’t.”
Abby further explained that her serving time was all because she was maybe going to “walk away from a vacation home in Florida after the 2008 crash” when her mortgage rate kept increasing.
The reality star is currently living in Santa Monica, California, and owns a home in Davenport, Florida.
Despite reports that her home was listed for sale, she clarified that she had used “wrong terminology” with the property manager and it was “all a mistake” and not for sale.
TOO ‘POSH’ FOR PRISON
Todd and Julie, 50, are parents to Lindsie Chrisley, 33, Kyle Chrisley, 31, Chase Chrisley, 26, Savannah Chrisley, 25, and Grayson, 16.
They also have full custody of their granddaughter, Chloe, 10, who is the daughter of Kyle.
Abby believes that the Chrisleys “weren’t hated by America.”
“They were funny, they were humorous. They had husband and wife problems and a lot of problems with their kids,” she said, adding that they probably got a “warm welcome” from other prisoners.
When asked how she thinks they’re going to handle prison life, the Abby Lee Dance Company founder told The U.S. Sun, “They’re going to be fine” because “they’re resourceful now”.
However, she joked: “Todd is not going to be able to handle, you know, the soap and the cheap generic shampoo and conditioner and the food because he’s a little posh. [But] Julie, she’ll be just fine.”
‘I WOULD HAVE DIED’
Abby, for her part, spent eight-and-a-half months in a California prison in 2017 after being convicted of bankruptcy fraud. She was initially sentenced to 366 days.
JoJo Siwa’s former dance teacher said that it was a “good thing” she didn’t serve the entire term because, “I would be dead.”
Abby goes into more details in her upcoming documentary.
“I’ve shot a documentary about the indictment, about prison,” she explained, while adding it also covers her health journey and how several doctors misdiagnosed her cancer.
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native underwent an emergency surgery in April 2018 after her doctor found a rare form of cancer, Burkitt lymphoma, in her spine.
After being left paralyzed from the neck down, Abby has been wheelchair-bound and has been taking medications for her pain and also doing lots of therapy.
“Even though I’m paraplegic and I’m in the wheelchair, I am not letting it hold me back,” she previously told The U.S. Sun.
Apart from preparing to release her documentary – a date has not been announced – she’s working on a new dance show titled Season 9 and is teaching dance classes all over the world.
GettyAccording to Abby Lee Miller, Julie will be ‘just fine’ in prison, but Todd is going to have problems, given his ‘posh’ lifestyle[/caption]
John Chapple for The US SunAbby is on the road to recovery after undergoing multiple surgeries[/caption]
John Chapple for The US SunAbby has exciting projects in the works like an upcoming documentary and TV show[/caption]