Jen Shah, one of the stars of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, was sentenced to 78 months (about six and a half years) of prison following her recent appearance in court.
Shah, 49, pleaded guilty for wire fraud back in July of 2022. She was involved in a telemarketing scheme that targeted those over the age of 55.
"Jen Shah’s role on the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, which I guess is why the courtroom is so full today, is just that, a role," said US District Judge Sidney Stein to a packed courtroom, as transcribed by the Inner City Press.
"People should not confuse the character she plays on an entertainment show to the person before me," Stein continued.
Prior to sentencing, attorney Priya Chaudhry stated that Shah would be working to make amends to the "elders" she victimized, noting that Shah will spend her 50th birthday behind bars.
Robert Sobelman discussed how Shah showed no remorse, remarking on how she was actually the leader of the scheme.
Shah's attorneys, however requesting a 3-year sentence instead.
Sharrieff, Shah's husband, wrote a letter to the court asking for leniency. "My wife’s current legal predicament was caused by a confluence of events that came together at various points, which caused her to spiral out of control," he wrote, as per Page Six.
The initial date for Shah's sentencing was November 18th, 2022. Due to a scheduling conflict, it was pushed back to December 15th, 2022.
Shah's attorney successfully pleaded to give her some extra time over the holidays, resulting in the early January sentencing.
She was arrested while filming RHOSLC. Shah initially insisted that she was innocent, and vowed to fight the accusations. But as time went on, she eventually admitted her guilt.
In a statement Shah released on her Instagram in December, she discussed why she was not attending the show's reunion. She explains that there was a conflict between what the network wanted her to discuss, and what she was unable to regarding her court case.
