As Jen Shah’s sentencing draws closer, more information about her role in this massive nationwide telemarketing scheme is finally being revealed. By now, we’ve all heard and seen Jen’s arrest on the second season of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City when NYPD stormed the scene with their bulletproof vests looking for Jen. Jen left the scene in a hurry before they arrived.
But we’ve all seen that you can’t run from the law for too long. Jen was taken into custody on the side of the road and eventually slapped with money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud accusations. Initially, Jen declared and boasted about her innocence. She cried on camera, brought up tragic incidents like her mother emptying her savings account for her to secure a legal team, and so much more. For the most part, fans didn’t buy it, not even for a second. But jeez, the way she maintained her innocence, I almost thought I could be wrong.
Anyway, she eventually pleaded guilty, and her sentencing date was set. But it kept getting pushed back because of schedule conflicts and the holiday season. As January 6th approaches, the United States government has finally submitted its request for Jen’s prison sentence. According to court documents obtained by People, the government requested Jen receive 120 months of imprisonment, or a total of 10 years.
And if that wasn’t shocking enough, the government detailed its reasons why– and the statements are chilling. The documents detail that Jen “took a series of increasingly extravagant steps to conceal her criminal conduct from the authorities” and “engaged in a years-long, comprehensive effort to hide her continued role in the scheme.”
It also noted, “For nearly a decade, the defendant was an integral leader of a wide-ranging, nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that victimized thousands of innocent people. Many of those people were elderly or vulnerable.”
WOW. This is the first time RHOSLC viewers are really being given insight into what went down behind the scenes. From the statement itself, Jen was a “leader” in this scheme, and for that, I can’t imagine the judge being lenient. Jen asked for three years just before this request came out.
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“Many of those people suffered significant financial hardship and damage. At the defendant’s direction, victims were defrauded over and over again until they had nothing left. She and her co-conspirators persisted in their conduct until the victims’ bank accounts were empty, their credit cards were at their limits, and there was nothing more to take,” the documents read.
Now hearing that the government is calling Jen “the most culpable person charged in this case” makes her and her declarations of innocence on TV look foolish. The documents also state that Jen’s “belated expressions of remorse ring hollow” in reference to the campaign she went on to convince the world she was innocent.
The government added that Jen went “on a public offensive against the charges and tried to profit off the charges by selling ‘Justice for Jen’ merchandise,” which should be considered in her sentencing.
From the sounds of it, Jen is in for a rude awakening. Not only did she think she’d get out of this, she thought she’d be able to convince the world, the government, and a jury of her innocence. The only good thing about this is that the victims will finally get the justice they deserve. And for Jen, I truly hope it was worth it. The three seasons of a reality show in which you showcased your faux designer bags and $80,000 parties- all of which were likely purchased with stolen money. After this, we’ll probably never see Jen Shah on our tv screens again, and I know most people are ecstatic about that.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT’S REQUEST FOR 10 YEARS? DO YOU THINK THAT’S SUFFICIENT?
[Photo by: Heidi Gutman/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images]
