Jason Galanis, the fiancé of television personality Savannah Chrisley, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison after misappropriating more than 8 million US dollars from a Native American tribal entity, the US Department of Justice said.
Galanis was involved in the purchase of tribal bonds from the Wakpamni Lake Community Corporation (WLCC), a short-term lender and economic development arm of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.
The proceeds were intended to be invested to fund annual annuity interest payments and provide money for tribal economic development. Instead, the DOJ said, Galanis used 8.5 million dollars for personal expenses, including his home, jewellery and clothing, travel and entertainment, and restaurant meals.
He pleaded guilty in 2020 to seven charges linked to two separate fraud schemes, including the case involving the WLCC. He was sentenced to 189 months in prison and ordered to pay more than 80 million dollars in restitution.
President Donald Trump commuted Galanis’s sentence in 2025.
Galanis and Chrisley met while she was campaigning for the release of her parents. He served time at the same prison as Chrisley’s father, Todd, but was released about two months before Todd and Julie Chrisley received pardons from Mr Trump.
The couple are expecting a baby and are due to marry. Galanis was previously married, and his former wife received money from a defence fund established for victims of his financial crimes.
