{"id":33122,"date":"2024-03-05T10:56:19","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T15:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=33122"},"modified":"2024-03-05T10:56:19","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T15:56:19","slug":"former-reality-star-todd-chrisley-says-hes-being-denied-church-services-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2024\/03\/former-reality-star-todd-chrisley-says-hes-being-denied-church-services-in-prison.html","title":{"rendered":"Former Reality Star Todd Chrisley Says He’s Being Denied Church Services in Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kathy Hutchins\/Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Former reality TV star Todd Chrisley, who was convicted alongside his wife Julie Chrisley of tax evasion and bank fraud in June 2022, claims he\u2019s been prevented from attending church services as he continues to serve a 12-year sentence behind bars in Florida.<\/p>\n

Chrisley, a 54-year-old real estate tycoon who rose to fame with his family on the USA Network show \u201cChrisley Knows Best,\u201d told NewsNation in an interview that the Federal Prison Camp Pensacola has refused to allow him to attend services and to speak with his wife Julie, who was sentenced to seven years in a Kentucky prison. He claims he\u2019s being mistreated and targeted. Chrisley told the outlet he believes the restrictions are the prison\u2019s way of retaliating at him for his previous participation in public\u00a0interviews<\/a>\u00a0with NewsNation about the conditions he and others are being held in at the Pensacola facility.<\/p>\n

Chrisley claimed that the warden stopped the prison\u2019s church services because he planned to do another NewsNation interview. Since then, he claims he hasn\u2019t had the chance to attend religious services.\u00a0He further asserts that on two different occasions, priests were interrupted during the middle of services and asked to leave the prison facility\u2019s premises. Chrisley told NewsNation, \u201cThat was their way of trying to intimidate me. I just walked out and said, \u2018It ain\u2019t going to change what I\u2019m going to say.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Regarding requests to speak with his wife, Chrisley says the warden \u201cdenied it within 15 minutes of getting the request,\u201d adding that he has not spoken with his wife since arriving in Pensacola.\u00a0He said, \u201c[The warden] does not talk to me. The warden does not come around me. She does not speak to me.\u201d Chrisley alleges the warden told other prison staff to stand firm when associating with him.<\/p>\n