Jen Shah pleads guilty to alleged involvement in a telemarketing scheme scandal. Image Source: CinemaBlend 

Jen Shah pleads guilty to alleged involvement in a telemarketing scheme scandal.

According to multiple reports, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah admitted guilt for allegedly taking part in a money-laundering scam. Jen Shah showed up to an unplanned hearing at the Manhattan Federal Court on Monday where she admitted guilt to one count of conspiracy to conduct wire fraud in connection with telemarketing in front of Judge Sidney Stein.

According to other reports, the judge dismissed the second accusation against Jen Shah, which was related to a conspiracy to commit money laundering, and said that Jen Shah now faces up to 30 years in prison and five years of supervised release. According to the report from Law and Crime Network, Jen Shah agreed to commit wire fraud with others while claiming that she overstated the value of the service.

Jen Shah went on to say that the services offered as coaching for purported internet business prospects either had very little value or none at all. As she was saying this, she revealed that she knew the customers were over 55 and expressed regret for what she had done. She explained that they would use interstate telephones and emails. 

Jen Shah, along with her assistant, Stuart Smith, was arrested on March 30th, 2021, after in a statement, U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss charged Jen and Stuart with using their fame to take advantage of hundreds of individuals. The claim claimed that Jen Shah, real name Jennifer Shah, and her first assistant, Stuart Smith, had allegedly created and sold lead lists of innocent people or other participants in their scheme to repeatedly con people. Jen Shah, real name Jennifer Shah, has fabricated the image of a rich, prosperous businessman and reality TV star. According to the statement, Jen and Stuart were the ones who genuinely pushed the victims, and their fellow conspirators were just selfish swindlers who utilized deceptive means to steal the victims' money.

Jen Shah now faces up to 30 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Image Source: People 

Damian Williams, the current U.S. Attorney for Manhattan and Audrey Strauss' successor, claimed that Jen Shah was a significant player in the national conspiracy that targeted the elderly and defenseless. These folks were misled into believing they would have financial stability, but the reality star and her accomplices cheated them out of their funds, leaving them with nothing.

After denying the accusations initially, Stuart Smith pleaded guilty to charges several months later, and on Monday, Jen Shah also pleaded guilty. Jen Shah's attorney, Priya Chaudhry, stated in an email to Law and Crime that Jen Shah is a decent lady who erred and has now taken full responsibility for her conduct and expressed her sincere regret for what transpired and for the people who were hurt. She also expressed regret in the email for disappointing her loved ones, friends, and supporters who had anticipated that she wouldn't participate in such a thing. Jen Shah enters a guilty plea because she wants to make up for her transgression and move on for her and her family.

In 2021, when the second season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was filming, Jen Shah said that she was innocent and she would stand by her word till the end. She had said that she thinks what people don't understand is, here in America, one is innocent until proven guilty and echoed that she is innocent and added that she believes that it’s a test for everyone who is in her corner. Jen Shah’s legal team although did try to get the charges dismissed by the judge, but the judge denied the request. She did not plead to the second count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Jen Shah did not plead to the second count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Image Source: The Sports Grail

The prosecution mentioned that, despite knowing that the people they had identified as leads would be taken advantage of by the other participants, Jen Shah would create and sell leads to other participants in the telemarketing scam for use by their telemarketing sales staff. Prosecutors described Cameron Brewster, another co-conspirator, as calling such lead lists a "money-sucking website."

Jen Shah will be sentenced under the terms of her plea deal to a period of imprisonment that ranges from 135 to 168 months. Jen Shah's punishment may fall within or outside of that range, at the judge's discretion. The reality star promised as part of the plea agreement that she would not challenge any prison term that was less than 168 months. The plea agreement specifies that it is recognized that the punishment to be imposed upon the offender is determined completely by the court and added that It is also recognized that the court is not bound by the guidelines. She will forfeit $6.5 million to the US government and provide compensation to the victims for $9.5 million.

According to other reports, Jen Shah will continue to let the cameras film her legal woes for the reality show's third season and an insider shared that she has Meredith Marks and Heather Gay supporting her through such a difficult time of her life and the reason why she has agreed to keep filming is that her legal trouble is a big part of her story. The source shared that producers do not want to stop sharing about it now and they will keep filming with her as long as they could.

Jen Shah will be sentenced on Nov. 28.