Julie Chrisley's 7-year prison sentence upheld as she loses bid for reduced time

"Chrisley Knows Best" star Julie Chrisley will continue to serve her seven-year prison sentence for tax evasion and bank fraud, a federal judge has ordered.

The former reality star, 51, appeared in federal court in Atlanta on Wednesday morning for a sentencing hearing three months after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the lower court miscalculated Chrisley's prison time, citing lack of evidence of her full involvement in the bank fraud scheme for which she and husband Todd Chrisley were sentenced.

According to a court filing obtained by USA TODAY, U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross upheld her 2022 ruling and gave "justification for the sentence imposed" during the 50-minute hearing. Chrisley was sentenced to 84 months of incarceration, five years of supervised release and more than $4.7 million – the total amount prosecutors said she obtained illegally – in restitution.

An attorney for the Chrisleys had requested a reduced sentence for the Chrisley family matriarch, according to The Associated Press. Meanwhile, U.S. attorneys argued Julie Chrisley was a "core part" of the fraud scheme.

"I apologize for my actions and what led me to where I am today," Chrisley said, according to the AP.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

She added that her incarceration has been "the most difficult time in my life. I cannot ever repay my children for what they have had to go through, and for that I am so sorry," she said, according to People magazine.

The judge reportedly explained her 2022 ruling was already a reduced sentence for Chrisley's crimes and less than what prosecutors had requested for the former reality star. Chrisley's children, Savannah Chrisley, 27, and Chase Chrisley, 28, were at the hearing, per the AP and People.

Per Ross' amended forfeiture order filed Wednesday, which was reviewed by USA TODAY, Todd Chrisley was found to have "received a total of $17,270,741.57 in proceeds as a result of committing the offense of conviction" and was ordered to forfeit that amount to the government.

Julie Chrisley is back in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for the Chrisleys for comment.

Julie Chrisley's prison release anticipated to be April 2028

Todd, 56, and Julie Chrisley, who portrayed themselves as real estate tycoons in the South on their USA Network shows, are both serving prison sentences after a jury in June 2022 found them guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks in Atlanta out of more than $36 million in fraudulent loans, defraud the IRS and commit tax evasion.

Julie Chrisley was additionally convicted of obstruction of justice and wire fraud.

Five months later, Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie Chrisley received a seven-year sentence. They began their respective sentences in January 2023.

A Sept. 25 records search by USA TODAY shows Todd Chrisley, 56, has an anticipated release date of July 2032, from FPC Pensacola in Florida. Julie's release from FMC Lexington in Kentucky was scheduled for April 2028 prior to her resentencing.

"Chrisley Knows Best" aired on USA Network for 10 seasons, from 2014 through 2023. "Growing Up Chrisley," a spin-off featuring the couple's adult children, Chase and Savannah Chrisley, went on for four seasons after its 2019 premiere.