Todd and Julie Chrisley hit back at biological mom of adopted daughter, Chloe, 10, after she said she wants custody back amid their legal troubles
- The biological mother of Todd and Julie Chrisley's daughter has said she wants to regain custody.
- The Chrisleys' attorney told People that an attempt to do so is "not legally correct or even valid."
Todd and Julie Chrisley have spoken out after the biological mother of their adopted daughter, Chloe, 10, announced her plans to regain custody following their recent prison sentencing for tax evasion and bank fraud.
The couple, best known to television audiences for their USA Network reality show "Chrisley Knows Best," were sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison on fraud convictions in November.
Shortly after, their eldest daughter together, Savannah Chrisley, shared that she had been granted custody of both her niece, Chloe, and her 16-year-old brother, Grayson.
However, earlier this week Chloe's biological mother Angela Johnson announced that she is seeking to regain full custody of the pre-teen. Johnson told TMZ she has yet to file any official paperwork but said she hopes to "go back to court and get Chloe back home," per ET Online.
In response, Julie, 49, and her 53-year-old real estate mogul husband released a statement to People via their attorney Wednesday, in which they stated that Johnson's proposed plan is "simply not legally correct or even valid."
"Todd and Julie are saddened by the unfortunate and misleading narrative currently being portrayed in the media regarding Chloe," the statement began.
Jessica Doyle, the family attorney who handled Chloe's adoption process, said that Johnson's "parental rights were terminated when she voluntarily surrendered her parental rights to Todd and Julie Chrisley on March 24, 2017."
Doyle added that Johnson has "had no contact with the minor child since 2015."
"Todd and Julie Chrisley don't just have custody of Chloe. They are her legal parents through adoption," Doyle continued. "I have reviewed the public statements made by Angela Johnson. They are simply not legally correct or even valid."
Todd began sharing custody of Chloe — who is his biological granddaughter — with Johnson after his son, Kyle, gave up his parental rights in light of his drug addiction. Todd and Julie were then given sole custody of the child after Johnson was arrested for "allegedly filing a false application for Medicaid assistance," according to TMZ.
Last week, Chloe's older sister, and now legal guardian, shared that the 10-year-old is well aware of the family's legal woes because "she listens more than you think."
In a pre-recorded episode of her podcast "Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley," Julie joined her eldest daughter to discuss how the family was coping before the sentencing.
"Chloe is really nosy. She'll put on her headphones and act like she's listening to something when in reality nothing's on," Savannah said. "So all of the legal issues we've had going on, she's heard about and she's dealing with it in her own way."
"And with the help of therapists," Julie interjected.
They then explained that Chloe has "had a psychologist since she was a toddler" since Julie and Todd "wanted to stay on top of her mental health and what's in her best interest."
On November 21, the Chrisleys were found guilty of defrauding banks out of more than $30 million by providing fake financial statements, which made it look like they were wealthier than they were.
Todd was given 12 years in prison and 16 months probation, while Julie received seven years in prison and 16 months probation. Peter Tarantino, their accountant, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for his role in the scheme.