Justice is served, and “Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah would be starting her new year behind bars. Jen, who pleaded guilty to her infamous telemarketing scandal in July 2022, has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison. She was undergoing trial for conspiracy to commit wire fraud via a telemarketing scheme that defrauded elderly people out of thousands of dollars.
Jen Shah’s Sentence, A Relief For Victims…
“Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City” has met her fate! While she was facing a maximum sentence of 30 years for her infamous “telemarketing scandal” that ripped elderly people out of thousands of dollars.
US District Judge Sidney Stein sentenced Jen to six-and-a-half years, or 78 months in prison for wire fraud. While delivering the verdict, Stein noted, “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.”
“People should not confuse the character she plays on an entertainment show with the person before me,” the judge ruled. It was also noted that Jen Shah was a “leader” of her controversy, and this became a factor find deciding the length of her sentence. At the time of sentence, fans from as far as Arkansas and Minnesota along with NYC were present to witness her sentencing in federal court Friday (Jan. 7).
Jen’s attorney Priya Chaudry released a statement, “Jen Shah deeply regrets the mistakes that she has made and is profoundly sorry to the people she has hurt. Jen has faith in our justice system, understands that anyone who breaks the law will be punished, and accepts this sentence as just. Jen will pay her debt to society and when she is a free woman again, she vows to pay her debt to the victims harmed by her mistakes.”
All About Jen’s Telemarketing Scandal…
They say bad money can never make you thrive. Well, that’s the classic case of Jen Shah, who defrauded several elderly people to make quick money. The reality star was first arrested in March 2021, along with her assistant Stuart Smith, for targeting persons in a nationwide telemarketing scheme.
During her arrest, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss stated in a press release that Jennifer Shah, who portrayed herself as a wealthy and successful businessperson on TV, “generated and sold “lead lists” of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam.”
“In actual reality and as alleged, the so-called business opportunities pushed on the victims by Shah, Smith, and their co-conspirators were just fraudulent schemes, motivated by greed, to steal victims’ money. Now, these defendants face time in prison for their alleged crimes,” he had further stated. Jen was facing a maximum sentence of 30 years behind bars.
Initially, she pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, but in a twist of events in July, Jen changed her plea and confessed to her crime before a New York court. During the hearing, the 48-year-old star confessed to the judge, “We used interstate telephones and emails. I knew many of the purchasers were over the age of 55. I am so sorry.”
When asked about the reason behind purchasing things, she confessed that she “offered ‘misrepresentations, regarding the value of the product or service, of which it had little to none.” The judge then asked if Jen knew it was wrong and illegal, to which she replied, “Yes, your Honor.”
Well, she’s got what she deserved. If things go well with Jen, she could free herself by the fall of 2023. Per law, federal inmates can earn up to 54 days of “good-time credit”, which means Jen can be a free woman after spending 5 1/2 years of actual time served. She is ordered to report to a federal facility on Feb. 17. There is a request that she should be sent to FPC Bryan, a minimum-security camp for women in Texas.