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Reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley are suing former defense attorneys for $25 million, blaming them for losing a criminal case that found them guilty of defrauding banks out of millions of dollars.

The Chrisleys, known for the USA Network series “Chrisley Knows Best,” were convicted on federal charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States in 2022.

President Donald Trump pardoned the celebrity couple last year, freeing them from prison and preventing them from serving over 10 more years collectively.

In their new lawsuit filed on Monday, the celebrity couple accuses their former attorney, Christopher Anulewicz, and law firm Balch & Bingham of not being capable of defending them in “one of the most consequential federal criminal prosecutions in the country.”

The lawsuit alleges that Anulewicz “had no meaningful criminal defense experience” and took on the case because it represented “publicity, and the kind of high-profile notoriety that brings in business.”

The lawsuit centers on a 2017 search conducted by the Georgia Department of Revenue on the Chrisleys’ warehouse. The Chrisleys say that the search was “illegal” and that Anulewicz waited too long to file a motion to “suppress the derivative evidence” obtained in the search.

The consequences for the Chrisleys were “catastrophic,” the lawsuit states.

“They served time in federal prison. They were separated from each other and from their children,” the lawsuits states. “They lost their television show and endorsement deals, costing them more than $25 million in income. Their reputations were destroyed,” the suit says.

“A lawyer with actual criminal defense competence, supervised by a firm that took its professional obligations seriously, would never have let this happen,” it reads.

The Chrisleys are seeking $25 million in compensation, in addition to compensation for their attorneys fees.

A lawyer representing Anulewicz, Patrick O’Connor, said in a statement that his client had not been served with a lawsuit as of Monday afternoon.

“We are unable to comment on an unserved, apparently pending federal lawsuit,” he said.

O’Connor did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.

Anulewicz has nearly 30 years of experience in civil and white collar criminal business cases, according to a biography on the website of his current firm, Bradley. He was also listed in “The Best Lawyers in America” in 2021 and listed among Georgia’s Super Lawyers” from 2014 to 2026, according to his bio.

Doug Schneider, a spokesperson for Balch & Bingham, said in a statement that “this complaint will be vigorously defended; however, we are not in a position to comment further on a pending lawsuit.”

In 2019, during the first Trump administration, the Justice Department accused the Chrisleys of bilking banks out of more than $36 million. In 2022, the couple was convicted by a jury of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years.

Prosecutors accused the couple of defrauding banks before they became reality TV stars in 2014 and using the ill-gotten gains to support a lavish lifestyle in suburban Atlanta. Their television show portrayed the couple as as hard-working, Jesus-loving real estate moguls and ran for 10 seasons.

One of the couple’s daughters, Savannah Chrisley, began pushing for a pardon for her parents before Trump’s second inauguration, according to an attorney for the Chrisleys, Alex Little. Savannah Chrisley also spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention, claiming that her parents were prosecuted due to their politics and celebrity status.

Since the couple’s release from prison last year, they’ve starred in a Lifetime documentary series titled “The Chrisleys: Back to Reality,” which premiered in September. Savannah Chrisley has also maintained a presence in the national media, appearing as a guest analyst on “The View” in recent months.