Jen Shah, who is on “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Monday. She had been involved in running a nationwide telemarketing scheme that targeted seniors.
Shah showed up in Manhattan before U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein and made a deal with federal prosecutors. She changed her plea from not guilty to guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Telemarketing Scam ‘Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City’, Star Jen Shah Pleads Guilty!
Shah made a deal with federal prosecutors just after 10:30 a.m. in front of Judge Sidney Stein. She changed her plea from not guilty to guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
She agreed to give up $6.5 million and pay up to $9.5 million in restitution. If she doesn’t, she could go to prison for up to 14 years.
Jen Shah, who is 48 years old, said in court, “I knew it was wrong, I hurt a lot of people, and I’m so sorry.”
She said she “agreed with others to commit wire fraud” and that she “knew it misled” victims, more than 10 of whom were over 55.
Jen Shah also said that there was a “misrepresentation of the product” and that the service “had little to no value.”
“Yes, your honor,” she said when asked if she knew what she was doing was wrong and against the law.
Shah’s lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, said that her client pleaded guilty “because she wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family.”
“Ms. Shah is a good person who went too far. She says in a statement that she takes full responsibility for what she did and is very sorry to everyone she hurt. “Ms. Shah is also sorry for letting down her husband, children, family, friends, and supporters.”
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, said in a statement after Jennifer Shah pleaded guilty, “She was a key player in a nationwide scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims.”
“False promises of financial security were made to these people, but Shah and her accomplices stole their savings and gave them nothing in return. “This Office is determined to stop these schemes, no matter what shape they take,” he said.
Shah was supposed to go on trial next week, but that plan has changed.
In April 2021, she pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering. The plea deal says that the second charge will be dropped.
Jen Shah and her assistant Stuart Smith, who also appeared on the Bravo show, were both arrested and charged in March 2021. Shah initially pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which were conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to launder money through telemarketing.
“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” started making season 3 in March, not long after the reunion episodes of the second season aired. Shah’s trial was supposed to start on March 22, but it has been put off until July. Even though she wasn’t arrested on camera, Season 2 had a lot to say about what happened afterward, especially with her family. And the third season of the show is mostly about what happened before Shah’s trial. On Monday, Shah was not in court with Bravo cameras.
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