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“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit telemarketing-related wire fraud on July 11, 2022.
Shah appeared in a surprise court hearing in New York City and reversed her previous not-guilty plea a week before she was due to appear in court. Despite facing a maximum of 30 years in prison and five years of supervised release, she only asked for 11 to 14 years behind bars and compensation of up to $9.5 million.
Here’s a quick recap of some of the key information from Jen Shah’s legal woes.
Why was the ‘RHOSLC’ star arrested?
The Bravolebrity was arrested on March 30, 2021 for allegedly scamming hundreds of people out of money — specifically those over 55 — through a telemarketing scheme that spanned six states.
She had initially denied the claims and vowed to take action against the charges.
Was Shah arrested while filming RHOSLC?
Shah was arrested while filming “RHOSLC” in an episode that aired on Bravo on November 7, 2021.
At the time of her arrest, she was dating her co-stars and they were preparing to leave for a cast trip to Vail, Colorado. However, after Shah received a call from an unnamed person, Shah claimed her husband Sharrieff was in the hospital with “internal bleeding” and had to be discharged.
Shah decided against the trip when Homeland Security, the New York Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation showed up looking for her. She was arrested off camera.
What was Shah accused of?
Shah was initially charged with conspiracy to commit telemarketing-related wire transfer fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
When did she plead not guilty to wire fraud?
During a video hearing on April 2, 2021, Shah pleaded not guilty to the two charges against her.
Prosecutors have denounced her as “at the highest level” of the fraud that netted her at least $5 million in “crime proceeds.”
Additionally, US District Judge Sidney Stein, who presided over the entire case, agreed that Shah posed a flight risk and restricted her travel to Utah, parts of New York and Washington, DC, and ordered her to surrender her passport.
Will the fraud process continue as planned?
Shah’s first trial – which had been postponed several times since its original October date – was scheduled for July 18, 2022.
However, the trial was called off and she is awaiting sentencing, having changed her plea to guilty on July 11, 2022.
Will Shah go to jail?
Shah, whose sentencing is scheduled for November 2022, faces up to 30 years in prison. In her plea she demands that her sentence be reduced to 11 to 14 years.
Shah’s sentence was reduced from an original maximum of 50 years after US attorneys agreed to drop charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering based on her plea deal.
What happened to Shah’s assistant Stuart Smith?
Stuart Smith, Shah’s main assistant, was arrested on the same day as the reality TV star.
He was charged with one charge of conspiracy to commit telemarketing, one charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one charge of obstructing a regulatory process. He originally pleaded not guilty.
However, in November 2021, he changed his plea to guilty and even agreed to testify against Shah.
“I have knowingly and intentionally colluded and convened with other individuals to develop a plan or operation to obtain money through false information, by offering to individuals, many of whom were in their 50s or older, and arranged to provide funds to organizations including myself and others,” Smith – who is now awaiting sentencing – said during his sentencing hearing.
What did Shah say about her trial and her request?
The RHOSLC star has vehemently denied any wrongdoing for months.
“I am innocent…and look forward to the trial so you and everyone else can see the truth,” Shah first wrote on Instagram in March 2022.
During the RHOSLC season 2 reunion, which aired that same month, Shah stated that she would plead not guilty because she was “innocent.”
“I’m fighting it. I’m innocent,” Shah told reunion host Andy Cohen and her castmates. “And I will fight for every person out there who can’t fight for themselves because they don’t have the resources or the means, so they don’t fight.”
“I’m going to fight because #1, I’m innocent, and #2, I’m going to represent the fuck for every other person out there who can’t fight and couldn’t.”
Shah is yet to comment on her guilty plea.
What did Shah’s ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ co-stars say about their arrest?
Though most cast members have remained silent on social media, Shah’s arrest was a major storyline for Season 2, and every “RHOSLC” cast member had their theories.
Heather Gay, who has stayed by Shah’s side, said in one episode: “It’s all I can think of [Shah and Smith’s] Families and how this will spread like wildfire. I’m absolutely devastated that Jen could be involved in this.”
Meredith Marks, who clashed with Shah at the time of her arrest, claimed she had her suspicions about her former friend.
“Too many things didn’t add up,” she added. “And now it’s confirmed that I was right [and] I’m not crazy. That is the bottom line.”
Whitney Rose agreed with Mark’s statement, adding that she had always wondered what Shah’s real job was.
And Mary Cosby couldn’t believe Shah had been arrested, adding that her “heart is broken”.
