Who is ‘gay lover’ who turned Todd Chrisley into FBI? Meet ex-business partner Mark Braddock – Daily Mail

Reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley’s once picture-perfect on-screen image has been ripped apart after the pair were sentenced to a combined total of 19 years in prison for bank fraud following a sensational trial that saw the devout Christian’s scorned ‘gay lover’ laying bare details of their sordid affair on the stand.   

Todd’s former business partner Mark Braddock shattered the reality star’s long-cultivated reputation as a devoted and religious family man when he claimed that he had a gay love affair with the 53-year-old father-of-five in shocking testimony – while also admitted that he had been the one to turn the reality star in to the FBI.

While on the stand, Mark Braddock, 57, told the court that he and Chrisley engaged in a romance in the early 2000s, before breaking it off. Initially, the pair remained close, forming what Braddock described as a ‘brotherhood’, before the relationship soured in 2012 when Chrisley threatened to call the police on him. 

The sordid claims made by Braddock served as the final blow that obliterated the Chrisley family’s once-wholesome TV image, which was cultivated during years of reality TV fame.  

Multi-millionaire real estate developer and entrepreneur Todd, 53, and his wife Julie, 49, were – before this court case – best known for starring in the USA Network reality series Chrisley Knows Best, which documented their day-to-day lives alongside their six children – Lindsie, 33, Kyle, 31, Chase, 26, Savannah, 25, Grayson, 16, and Chloe, 10.

It first premiered in 2014 and has gone on for nine seasons – with a tenth season still due to air next year – but the show, in addition to its two spinoff series, has now been canceled, following the news that Todd and Chrisley will be sent to federal prison for a combined total of 19 years.

The dramatic conclusion of the trial was matched only by the surprising accusations made by the reality star’s former employee-turned-lover, who told the court back in May that he had a year-long intimate relationship with Chrisley in the early 2000s – while they were both married to their respective wives.

He also spoke in detail about Chrisley’s crimes, claiming that he had not only been a witness to them – but that he had even helped commit them – while revealing that he was the one to ultimately turned the 53-year-old over to the FBI.

But who exactly is the scorned ‘gay lover’ who helped to bring down the Chrisleys?  

Braddock, a married father-of-two and grandfather-of-two, is the man who sensationally turned against his ex-lover and former business partner Todd, by tipping off the federal government about his fraudulent schemes after their alleged affair turned bitter.

According to Braddock, who was granted immunity in return for testifying, he and Chrisley worked together at a real estate company from 2005 to 2012.

Braddock claimed that things soon turned romantic between them. And while the businessman said their affair only lasted about a year, he told the court that they continued working together for nearly a decade after their secret romance ended, while describing their close bond as a ‘brotherhood.’ 

However, that ‘brotherhood’ blew up in Chrisley’s face in 2012, when the two got into a massive argument, and the reality star reportedly threw Braddock out of his office and threatened to call the police on him. Mark said he then decided to turn the Chrisleys into the FBI for tax fraud.

Mark said he kept the affair a secret from his own wife, Leslie, whom he had been married to for more than three decades – with the couple tying the knot back in October 1987, 35 years ago.

He was forced to tell her about his infidelities before testifying, and it’s since been reported that she is standing by her husband, with whom she shares two children.

According to Media Take Out, Leslie – who is a real estate agent herself – has since ‘forgiven’ Mark for his affair with Todd, and intends to stay married to her husband of-35-years.

Together, Mark and his wife have welcomed two sons over the years, named Ian and Colin. Ian is married to a woman named Eva, and together, they have a son and daughter. Colin’s marital status is unclear.

According to his LinkedIn account, Mark graduated from Radford University with Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Computer Science, Statistics, and Math in 1987. 

He started his career in 1984 with a job as a systems engineer at AT&T. He worked there for three years while living in Virginia.

He then got a job as a systems analyst for a research company called Decision Resources Group, before landing a position at an analytics firm called Cognos, as a sales representative.

He also worked for the company SAP Software Solutions from 1989 to 1999. In 2000, Braddock became a partner at the law group, Baer, where he worked for five years.

He was then hired as the Vice President of a real estate software company called Executive Asset Management, LLC. – which is where he worked with Todd, since it is part of Chrisley Asset Management – in 2005, and stayed there until 2012.

While working at Executive Asset Management, Mark said in court that he was threatened by blackmailers who claimed to know about his previous affair with Todd.

‘Pay cash and we’ll shut up,’ he claimed the blackmailer threatened over text. 

According to Mark, he and Todd ended up paying the blackmailer $38,000 to stay quiet. 

However, the former business partners ultimately had a major falling out, which led to the end of their friendship and professional relationship. 

In 2012, Mark said Todd threw him out of his office and called the police on him, which caused Mark to feel vengeful – and led to him eventually tipping off the FBI about Todd and his wife’s criminal activity. 

He went on to become a partner at the Pontchartrain Resources Group – ‘a full-service business consulting organization helping executives to manage technology and business process change to achieve maximum efficiencies in their operations’ – where he still works. 

Mark currently resides in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, and often shares snaps to social media – which were set to private after the trial – with his wife, two sons, and two grandchildren.

The Chrisleys were found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and tax fraud after taking out $30 million in fraudulent bank loans.

Prosecutors claimed during the trial that the couple submitted fake documents to banks when taking out $30 million in bank loans, and that Julie also submitted a fraudulent credit report and false bank statements when trying to rent a house in California. 

Additionally, the couple was accused of using a film production company to hide their income in an effort to keep the IRS from collecting $2 million in unpaid taxes that Todd owed the federal government. 

After the hearing, Julie attempted to dodge her prison sentence by telling the judge that the ordeal had left her ten-year-old daughter suicidal. She lamented that her adopted daughter Chloe said she ‘doesn’t want to live if [her] mom goes away,’ and pled for leniency in her sentencing.

Even so, she was sentenced to seven years in prison, while her husband received a 12-year sentence. Todd and Julie will also serve 16 months of probation each upon their release.

Afterwards, their daughter Savannah took to Instagram to defend her parents, sharing a quote from popular Twitter pastor Kimberly Jones that read: ‘Noah didn’t stop building the ark to explain himself to everyone who doubted and hated on him. Keep building your ark. The rain will do the talking.’

The couple’s attorney, Bruce Morris, has confirmed to DailyMail.com that they plan to appeal the sentences. 

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