Jen Shah of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City enters a guilty plea in a fraud case
According to documents obtained by E! News, Shah pleaded guilty in federal court on July 11, a week before she was set to go on trial for allegedly taking part in a telemarketing scheme that targeted the elderly.
Shah had said she was innocent until the very last hearing. She had been arrested in March 2021 and pleaded not guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering at her first hearing.
Shah is currently accused of conspiring to commit wire fraud in relation to telemarketing.
She could spend up to 30 years in jail, pay up to $9.5 million in fines and reparations, and forfeit $6 million.
According to NBC News, Shah admitted during the July 11 proceedings that she had “agreed with others to commit wire fraud” and “knew it deceived” many victims, some of whom she said were over the age of 55.
She also claimed that she had “known it misled” many victims. Shah admitted to the court, “[I] understood it was wrong.” I apologize for the devastation done to so many people.
The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, made a statement soon after Shah changed his plea.
According to a news release, he claimed that Jennifer Shah “was a prominent participant in a national conspiracy that targeted older, vulnerable victims.”
“These victims were misled into believing they would have financial security, but Shah and her accomplices cheated them out of their cash, leaving them with little to show for it. This office is dedicated to exposing fraudulent schemes in all of their forms. “
Shah’s assistant, Stuart Smith, was detained last year on comparable charges—conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and hindering an official investigation.
He entered a not guilty plea at first, but changed it during a hearing in November 2021. Shah told RHOSLC season two reunion host Andy Cohen that she hadn’t talked to Smith since both of them were arrested.
She responded, “I wish I could comment on that or answer that, but I can’t because it has to do, obviously, with the legal issue.” when asked how she felt about the news of Smith’s changed plea.
Shah clarified her relationship with Smith by stating that they “didn’t work together on the enterprises that were being addressed.”
Because Stuart was working on his own projects, “Stuart wasn’t around me all the time, which is why I had a lot of different helpers.”
During the reconnection, she acted innocently. Shah said that the percentage is high because many accept plea agreements.
He added, “I would fight for every person out there that 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, first of all, I’m innocent, and second, because I’m going to f—king stand in for everyone else who hasn’t been able to or won’t fight.
Heather Gay and Lisa Barlow are two of Shah’s RHOSLC co-stars who have publicly supported her in the previous year.
Meredith Marks defended Shah most recently on July 10 in an Instagram Story, saying, “I live in the United States of America, for those of you who may not be aware of this.” One has a right to a trial in the US, and one is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. “