Savannah Chrisley will take custody of her brother and niece after Todd and Julie were sentenced to jail

Savannah Chrisley, star of Chrisley Knows Best, has taken custody of her brother and niece after her parents were sentenced to prison.

Julie and Todd will spend several years behind bars for bank fraud and tax evasion, meaning 25-year-old Savannah will be the sole guardian of 16-year-old brother Grayson, and 10-year-old niece Chloe for now, as per TMZ.

Savannah opened up about the controversy on her podcast Unlocked.

She said: “It's just really hard to sit here, four days before I go sit in the courtroom.

"I don't know what my fate is, what my family's fate is.”

She continued: “I know that the short term is going to be really difficult and I may come home without both of my parents.

"That's what the chances are, that's the likelihood and that's my new normal.”

The 25-year-old also disclosed to listeners that she fears spending Thanksgiving ‘without her family’ for the first time.

“I come home Tuesday, and I have custody of a 16-year-old and a 10-year-old, and we spend our first Thanksgiving not as a family," she said.

"I’ve never been away from my family for the holidays.”

According to CNN, the Chrisley Knows Best couple were found guilty in June of this year of conspiracy to defraud banks out of more than USD $30 million (AUD $45.2m or £25.2) in fraudulent loans.

Julie and Todd were also found guilty of several tax crimes, including attempting to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Prosecutors proved in court that the couple put on a charade of having a lavish lifestyle by purchasing expensive cars and taking extravagant trips they could not afford.

Business Insider reported that lawyers had shown footage of the couple bragging about their affluence, revealing their expensive clothes and properties, all while hiding money from the IRS to avoid paying taxes.

US District Judge Eleanor Ross sentenced the pair earlier this week, with Todd receiving 12 years in prison and 16 months probation, while Julie received seven years in prison with 16 months probation.

The couple's accountant Peter Tarantino was also ordered to serve 36 months in prison for committing fraud on his clients' behalf.

Todd addressed the court and asked for leniency for his wife, citing that she is the primary caregiver of Grayson and Chloe.

However, Judge Ross said that although it’s ‘heartbreaking’ for the family, the defendants needed to bear the burden of their crimes, according to the outlet.

She said: "I've never heard any acceptance of any crime.

"I've never really heard any admission to any wrongdoing or any remorse.”

The judge added that she has ‘no reason to doubt that both Chrisleys have good hearts’ but insisted she ‘cannot ignore the greed and flamboyance in this case’.

Topics: News, Film and TV, Celebrity, Crime

Charisa Bossinakis