‘Real Housewives’ Star Jen Shah Sentenced To 6.5 Years In Prison For Wire Fraud

Topline

Jen Shah, one of the stars of Bravo’s Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City, was sentenced Friday to 6.5 years in prison and five years of supervised release for her role in a telemarketing scheme, after pleading guilty last year to conspiracy to commit wire fraud—one of the many reality stars to recently face legal trouble.

Key Facts

New York-based federal Judge Sidney H. Stein sentenced Shah and pushed back on the idea that her business could have done any good, saying: “What good things could she have been doing, calling elderly people and selling them business opportunities and they would max out their credit cards and get the person to put down an additional credit card and then upsell them for other products?”

Shah requested a sentence of only 36 months, or three years, while the government said she should serve 120 months, or 10 years—noting she sold “Justice For Jen” merchandise after she was arrested—and a probation report recommended she serve 72 months, or six years.

She agreed to pay up to nearly $6.7 million in restitution and forfeit $6.5 million, 30 luxury items and 78 counterfeit luxury items,

Shah must report to prison by February 17.

Crucial Quote

Shah used the tagline “the only thing I’m guilty of is being Shah-mazing” on the show, but said in court she didn’t write the line. “Reality TV has nothing to do with reality, even my tagline,” she said through tears, according to Inner City Press.

Key Background

Shah, who has starred on her Real Housewives franchise since it premiered in 2020, is known for being over-the-top and combative, making her a fan favorite. Her arrest was partially captured on camera, as she left a cast trip after receiving an urgent phone call, only for Department of Homeland Security officers to show up moments later looking for her. Shah and her right-hand man, Stuart Smith, were arrested in 2021 and charged in the Southern District of New York with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which they initially pleaded not guilty to. The Department of Justice said Shah and Smith “defrauded hundreds of victims” and “generated and sold ‘lead lists’ of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam” adding they “built their opulent lifestyle at the expense of vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people.” Smith has not yet been sentenced, and several others who were charged in the scheme pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to several years in prison. After she was arrested, Smith pleaded guilty in November and was expected to testify at Shah’s trial, which had been delayed several times. Just one week before the trial was supposed to start, Shah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Her potential maximum prison time was reduced from 50 to 14 years, and the money laundering charge was dropped as part of the agreement. Shah did not attend the recent taping of the Real Housewives reunion episode—where she could have answered questions from her fellow cast mates, host Andy Cohen and fans about her involvement in the scheme, saying she couldn’t discuss her legal issues.

Tangent

Shah is not the only prominent reality TV star to serve prison time or face serious legal trouble. Teresa Guidice, star of the Real Housewives Of New Jersey, went to prison for nearly one year after pleading guilty to fraud, for a bankruptcy-related case along with her then-husband Joe, who also served time and was ultimately deported. Last month, Todd and Julie Chrisley, the stars of the USA Network’s Chrisley Knows Best were sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison after being found guilty of bank and tax fraud.

Further Reading

‘Real Housewives’ Jen Shah Pleads Guilty—Could Face Up To 14 Years In Prison (Forbes)