In March 2021, FBI officials arrested The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City reality TV star Jen shah and charged her with wire fraud and money laundering over her alleged role in a nationwide telemarketing scheme that targeted older citizens. The story caused a stir amongst the loyal fanbase of the series and quickly garnered media attention. Unsurprisingly, the network found Jen’s legal travails too good to cut out from the show and continued to film the star. Bravo’s camera crew was on the scene and gave viewers a front-row seat to Jen’s dramatic arrest as police showed up during filming.
Fans soon found out that Jen had lied about her husband’s health issues as a cover for evading arrest from law enforcement agents. The news shocked viewers, but they still rallied behind Jen — as she remained bullish about her innocence. Sadly, fans got a rude awakening when news broke back in July 2022 that the 49-year-old TV star had gone to a New York City court to change her plea from not guilty to guilty.
Jen Shah Pleaded Guilty to committing Wire Fraud
Before she pled guilty, Jen faced up to 30 years in prison. However, the change in her plea helped chip away at some of that time. Despite claiming responsibility for her crimes, the general feeling amongst fans was that she would get a minimum sentencing of 14 years as per the plea deal. Jen’s sentencing happened at a New York City court on Friday, January 6. The government pushed for a 10-year jail term for the reality TV star while Jen’s lawyers sought a lesser 3-year term. Eventually, U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein sentenced Jen to 6.5 years in prison.
Many fans were not too happy with the sentencing and felt it was more of a slap on the wrist in comparison to her crimes. Interestingly, Jen may not even spend the entire 6.5 years behind bars. Federal inmates are entitled to 54 days of good time credit a year, which means she could get a year chalked off from her time for good behavior.
Jen Partied After 6.5 years Prison Sentence
Apart from bagging 6.5 years behind bars, Jen Shah will also forfeit $6.5 million and pay $9.5 million in restitution as part of the plea deal agreement that helped her get the lesser prison time than the initially proposed term of 10 years. It seemed Jen felt very happy about the outcome of the sentencing because reporters spotted her in a celebratory mood at an elegant restaurant in New York City that same night. Jen’s friends and family surrounded the soon-to-be inmate as they partied on the second floor of the Italian restaurant Valbella At The Park.
Jen had several people standing around her table, which made it difficult for reporters to take her pictures. As a result, it became difficult to confirm whether her husband, University of Utah football coach Sharrieff Shah or any of her The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City co-stars were at the party. Despite her recent shenanigans, the authorities expect Jen to report to a yet-to-be-determined federal prison on February 17. Jen’s sentencing remains the one consolation for the numerous victims of this unpleasant saga.
