On July 11, 2022, Jen Shah, a “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” entered a plea to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing.
One week before her trial began, Shah made a surprise appearance in court in New York City and modified her previous not guilty plea.
She requested merely 11 to 14 years in prison and up to $9.5 million in compensation, even though she faced a maximum sentence of 30 years in jail and five years of supervised release.
Here is a brief breakdown of some of Jen Shah’s legal issues’ most crucial details.
Why Was the “Rhoslc” Celebrity Imprisoned?
The Bravolebrity was taken into custody on March 30, 2021, on charges that she had defrauded hundreds of people, the majority of them were over the age of 55, through a telemarketing scheme that spanned six states.
At first, she refuted the allegations and pledged to fight the charges against her.
Is Shah a Suspect in the RHOSLC Investigation?
Shah was detained during filming an episode of “RHOSLC” that will air on Bravo on November 7, 2021.
She was with her co-stars at the time of her arrest, and they were getting ready to embark on a cast trip to Vail, Colorado. However, after receiving a phone call from an unidentified individual, Shah claimed Sharrieff, her spouse, was in the hospital with “internal bleeding” and wanted to leave.
Shah backed out of the trip as Homeland Security, the New York Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched for her. She was arrested behind closed doors.
When Did She Say She Wasn’t Guilty of Wire Fraud?
On April 2, 2021, Shah entered a not-guilty plea to the two accusations against her.
The prosecution accused her of operating “at the top-level” of the fraud, which brought in at least $5 million in “criminal proceeds.”
Additionally, Shah was only permitted to travel to Utah, certain areas of New York, and Washington, D.C., according to U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein, who presided over the entire case. Shah was also required to surrender her passport.
Is Shah Going to Be Imprisoned?
Shah faced up to 30 years in prison during his sentencing in November 2022. In her plea agreement, she requests that her sentence be lowered to 11 to 14 years.
Shah’s sentence was reduced from 50 years after the U.S. attorney agreed to remove the conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of her plea deal.
What Has Shah Said About Her Trial and Plea?
For months, the “RHOSLC” actress maintained her innocence.
“I’m not guilty…
“I look forward to trial so you, like everyone else, may see the truth,” Shah posted on Instagram in March 2022. During the Season 2 reunion of “RHOSLC,” which aired the next month, Shah said she wasn’t taking a guilty plea since she was “innocent.”
“I’m battling it.” “I am innocent,” Shah assured Andy Cohen and her co-stars at the reunion. “And I will fight for everyone out there who can’t fight for themselves because they lack the resources or the means, so they don’t.”
“I’m going to fight because, first and foremost, I’m innocent, and second, I’m going to f—king represent every other person out there who can’t or hasn’t been able to fight.”
Shah has yet to respond to her guilty plea.