Jen Shah, ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ cast member, pleads guilty to telemarketing fraud
Jennifer Shah, a cast member on the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” pleaded guilty Monday to defrauding hundreds of victims, including some elderly, in a years-long telemarketing scheme.
Jen Shah, a polarizing member of the “Real Housewives” franchise, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to a plea agreement, federal sentencing guidelines range from 135 months to 168 months, or 11 to 14 years, in prison. The guidelines are only advisory, and the judge could depart from them when he sentences her later this year.
“I knew this was wrong, I know many people were harmed, and I am so sorry,” Shah told the judge.
As part of a plea agreement, Shah will pay $6.5 million in forfeiture and up to $9.5 million in restitution.
“Jennifer Shah was a key participant in a nationwide scheme that targeted elderly, vulnerable victims. These victims were sold false promises of financial security but instead Shah and her co-conspirators defrauded them out of their savings and left them with nothing to show for it,” US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement Monday.
“This Office is committed to rooting out these schemes whatever form they take.”
Jen Shah was arrested in 2021 while Bravo was filming the second season of the reality TV series, with episodes of the show featuring Shah and her cast mates speculating and sparring over her culpability.
Shah had, at the time episodes aired, consistently professed her innocence, going as far as to state in a tagline for show promos that, “the only thing I’m guilty of is being Shah-mazing.”
Her guilty plea comes as she was set to go to trial in federal court in Manhattan.
Prosecutors said since 2012 Jennifer Shah and others sold so-called “business services” to the alleged victims, including website design services to some elderly individuals who didn’t own computers.
Jen Shah and others also identified and sold as “leads” the names of individuals who, prosecutors allege, they knew would be defrauded by others involved in the alleged scheme.
Prosecutors said Jen Shah oversaw a sales floor personally and supervised the salespeople who lied directly to the victims of the scheme.
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