Todd and Julie Chrisley are being 'singled out' in prison because of 'their celebrity status,' according to attorney
- Todd and Julie Chrisley are being "singled out" in prison because of "their celebrity status."
- That's according to their new attorney, Jay Surgent, who spoke to Entertainment Tonight.
Todd and Julie Chrisley's attorney believes the former reality TV couple are being "singled out" in prison and treated unfairly because of "their celebrity status."
Jay Surgent of Weiner Law Group, who represents the incarcerated couple, told Entertainment Tonight: "I would like to say that they're doing well, but they're not. First of all, anybody incarcerated is not doing well because they're restricted of their freedom."
"But the problem in this situation is that, because of their celebrity status, I think that they've been singled out," Surgent said.
Surgent went on to say there are "certain things that they've had to endure while being incarcerated," and that "they've been subject to, that need to be corrected."
Among the issues, according to Surgent, Todd's request to be placed under house arrest for the remainder of his sentence was not properly processed, and the former real estate mogul has had people take photos of him while he was sleeping.
The Chrisleys, who are known to television audiences for their USA Network reality show "Chrisley Knows Best," were convicted last year of defrauding banks out of more than $30 million by providing fake financial statements to make them appear wealthier than they were.
Todd, who prosecutors called the "mastermind" of their years-long tax and bank fraud scheme, was sentenced to 12 years at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in Florida, while Julie, who prosecutors believed played a lesser role, is serving seven years at Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky.
The attorney also said that the couple's "legal mail is being opened before it's given to them," and that "they're sometimes not getting their mail at all."
Speaking more generally about the two facilities, Surgent once again claimed that there is "no air conditioning" at either prison — something that two of the couple's children, Savannah Chrisley and Chase Chrisley, have also said.
The Bureau of Prisons has disputed comments about the conditions at the facilities.
In a statement to Insider, a representative for the federal agency said: "For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not release information on the conditions of confinement for any inmate or group of inmates."
The person added that all adults in custody "have unlimited access to drinking water and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is monitoring the ventilation at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Pensacola and the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Lexington, as one of our highest priorities is the safety of BOP employees" and adults in custody.