January 1, “Real Housewives” Star Sentenced to 6.5 Years Behind Bars

“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah has been sentenced to 78 months, or 6 1/2 years, in prison for wire fraud.

In July, Shah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for running a telemarketing scheme that defrauded elderly people out of thousands of dollars.

Shah has flaunted her wealth on the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” since its debut in 2020, throwing lavish parties and buying expensive clothes.

Following her arrest in March 2021, Shah maintained her innocence and used the situation as fodder for the show. Her tagline for season 2 was: “The only thing I’m guilty of is being Shah-mazing.” But federal prosecutors used that line against her in sentencing papers, arguing that it demonstrated she was mocking the legal system.

The federal government had sought a 10-year prison sentence while Shah’s lawyers requested three years.

U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein sentenced Shah to 6 1/2 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Judge Stein said Shah was the “leader” of the scheme in which “thousands of elderly people” lost “tens of millions of dollars.”

“No victim ever earned promised returns” and they suffered “financial and emotional devastation” as their lives were “turned upside down,” Stein said.

“I don’t know if she appreciates the harm she has caused, I hope she has, I heard the words,” Stein said. “Those people have no way of being made full again … If they are financially, they won’t be emotionally.”

The 49-year-old will have to surrender to federal prison on Feb. 17.

Source: Page Six | NBC News