Julie Chrisley’s Secret Life in Prison Detailed by Former Inmate: ‘She’s a Little Card Shark’

A former inmate who spent time with Julie Chrisley in FMC Lexington in Kentucky shared details on what the reality star was like behind bars, including how she became known as “a little card shark.”

Appearing on Savannah Chrisley‘s recent Unlocked podcast, Sharita Mona, who served eight months alongside Julie, opened up about first meeting the Chrisley Knows Best alum and how her personality changed over the weeks they spent together.

“She smiled, but you could tell she was in deep thought,” Mona said of when Julie first entered the prison. “She was thinking about getting where she had to go. And a few people spoke to her, but she was to her, she was by herself and kinda just with herself. She was real quiet.”

Julie and her husband, Todd Chrisley, were convicted of bank and tax fraud in 2022 and sentenced to a combined 19 years in federal prison. The couple appealed their sentences; Todd’s request was denied, while Julie was granted a resentencing hearing. However, in September 2024, the judge upheld Julie’s original 84-month sentence at FMC Lexington.

Mona, who appeared on the podcast to promote her new book Letters to My Daughters from the Inside, released on April 1, revealed that Julie opened up more once she settled. This included showing off her card skills, describing her as “a little card shark.”

“She was playing cards, and so she played cards with some girls I was friends with,” Mona explained. “And they said, ‘Oh, we gotta introduce you to Julie.’ And so we spoke, but they were, like, deep into their game.”

Mona said she and Julie became closer when they “started working together” in the prison. She revealed how Julie encouraged her to pursue real estate upon release, with her advice helping Mona flip a house for $60,000 just ten days after her release.

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She also told Savannah how much her mom spoke of her kids, saying, “She’s worried about you all… she loves you all. You are her world.”

Savannah agreed, adding, “That’s what I tell everybody. Like, there was never a time where I was like, ‘Where is mom?’ Where like, ‘is she gonna be at school today?’ She was always there. Always. That’s just her biggest thing is just worried about her kids. Like, forget about her.”

“She can do what she needs to do, but, like, her kids are her number one focus,” she continued.

Later in the episode, Julie actually called Savannah, and the podcast host recorded the call, letting her mom know that Mona was on the show and had recently flipped her first house.

“I love it… that makes me so happy,” Julie said.