Savannah Chrisley's Fiance's Past Sparks Controversy Amid Fraud Claims
Savannah Chrisley’s fiancé Jason Galanis’ ex-wife Monet Berger claimed she was a “victim” of his fraud when she filed for divorce in 2017 after nine years of marriage.
“[Berger] is not aware of the extent of the communities’ liability for [Galanis’] conduct during the marriage. She was a victim of his crimes and received compensation from the Victim’s Defense Fund,” her divorce petition obtained by Us read.
In September 2015, Galanis was arrested and charged in connection with a multimillion-dollar investment scheme. In May 2016, he was arrested again while on bail and after being indicted in another fraud scheme that targeted a Native American tribal entity.
Berger also told the court she was applying for “innocent spouse relief” for their joint tax returns, both filed and unfiled, during their marriage.
She claimed she was “unaware” that her husband was “underpaying [or] failing to pay” Uncle Sam. Berger also alleged Galanis, 56, “forged” her name “on more than one tax document” during their union.
Berger filed her dissolution of marriage in Los Angeles Superior Court on August 16, 2017, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split.
She listed their marriage date as October 21, 2006, and their separation date as May 23, 2016. The former couple shared no children.
She also claimed that because of his “current criminal conviction,” the Department of Justice seized their community property for restitution, including their shared vehicles, checking and savings accounts, retirement accounts, and more.
“[Berger] is unaware of the extent of the property taken by the Department of Justice, as [Galanis] was responsible for the parties’ assets, debts, income and expenses,” the documents read.
Berger asked for spousal support and for the court to terminate Jason’s ability to seek spousal support from her. She agreed they would pay their own attorney’s fees and asked the court to treat their debts as separate, including any accrued by his businesses, affiliates, partnerships, etc.
Berger also demanded possession of the couple’s Yorkshire Terrier, her Bloomingdale’s and Barney’s credit cards, a 2014 Mercedes-Benz M-Class and all her jewelry.
Galanis never responded to her divorce filing, so the judge issued a default judgment on April 26, 2018.
The judgment also revealed more alleged deceptions from Chrisley’s now-fiancé during his marriage to Berger.
While going through boxes of personal items in 2016, Berger allegedly found a letter from the L.A. County Recorder’s Office advising Galanis to return a form within a certain timeframe to complete their marriage process.
“[Galanis] never told [Berger] that he received the letter from the Recorder’s Office, advising him that the marriage license could not be completed‚ nor that he did not return the requested information,” the judgment read.
She had her legal team investigate, and it turned out their marriage was not registered with the Department of Health.
“Nonetheless, because [Berger] believed that she and [Galanis] were married, because they held themselves out as a married couple, including filing joint tax returns, it is necessary to dissolve the putative marriage,” the judge noted.
The court granted Berger’s request that Galanis could never request spousal support from her, but reserved jurisdiction to award her support in the future.
Galanis’ ex was awarded all items in her possession, her “premarital and post-separation earnings,” Social Security benefits, and any assets she acquired from and after the date of separation, as well as any gifts she received from her husband before or during their marriage.
The judgment also revealed Berger donated several of Galanis’ personal items, including his clothes, books and more, to charity.
Us reached out to Berger and Galanis for comment.
Chrisley, 29, announced she was pregnant with her first child via Instagram on Tuesday, October 27.
“I’ve prayed for this life. I’ve cried for this life. And there were moments I truly wondered if this life would ever be mine,” the reality star wrote in part.
She also included a sweet message about her baby daddy, only referring to him as “J.”
Us exclusively confirmed that her mystery fiancé is Galanis — and he has a checkered past.
In 2020, Galanis was convicted in connection with multimillion-dollar securities fraud schemes, and was sentenced to nearly 16 years in federal prison.
Trump commuted his sentence in March 2025. Months later, Trump pardoned Chrisley’s parents, Todd and Julie, after they were convicted of fraud and tax evasion.
Galanis also has ties to Hunter Biden, and previously worked with the former First Son on investment ventures.
Before revealing her pregnancy, Chrisley defended their 27-year age gap.
“Yes, there is a huge age gap there, OK?” she said on her “Unlocked” podcast. “And that’s probably part of the reason why I kept a lot of it quiet, because I know how brutal the public can be. But I genuinely do not care.”
For reference, Chrisley’s famous father is 57, making Todd just one year older than her fiancé.
