Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah begins 6.5-year prison sentence for wire fraud
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Chad Kirkland/Bravo/Getty Jen Shah of 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City'
Jen Shah has gone from The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City to the big house.
The embattled reality star reported to federal prison in Bryan, Texas, on Friday to begin serving her six-and-a-half-year sentence for a telemarketing fraud scheme, her attorney Priya Chaudhry confirmed to EW.
Chaudhry did not provide further comment but said Thursday in a statement to PEOPLE that her client's "resolve to make her victims whole and to turn her life around is unyielding."
"She is committed to serving her sentence with courage and purpose, fueled by her desire to make amends for the hurt she has caused and to help others in her new community," the statement added. "No obstacle will deter Jen from making the most of her time in prison and she's determined to make restitution to those whose lives she has impacted."
Shah was handed her sentence of 78 months in January, after she and her assistant (and RHOSLC costar) Stuart Smith were convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a telemarketing scheme and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock Jen Shah of 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' arrives in federal court for her wire fraud case
Shah and Smith were arrested in March 2021 and accused of selling "so-called 'business services' in connection with the victims' purported online businesses." According to an indictment, those services included "tax preparation or website design services, notwithstanding that many victims were elderly and did not own a computer." Prosecutors argued that the scheme defrauded thousands of people.
Prosecutors also said throughout the proceedings that Shah had used profits to live a life of luxury, which included her "Shah Ski Chalet" mansion in Park City, Utah; a rented apartment in Midtown Manhattan; a leased Porsche Panamera; hundreds of thousands of dollars in luxury goods; and various cosmetic procedures.
Shah initially pleaded not guilty but changed her plea to guilty last July on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Smith pleaded guilty in November 2021.
At the time of her sentencing, Shah expressed regret for her actions via a statement from her attorney. "Jen Shah deeply regrets the mistakes that she has made and is profoundly sorry to the people she has hurt," the statement said. "Jen has faith in our justice system, understands that anyone who breaks the law will be punished, and accepts this sentence as just. Jen will pay her debt to society and when she is a free woman again, she vows to pay her debt to the victims harmed by her mistakes."
The drama of the case played out through RHOSLC's second and third seasons, with the legal proceedings playing a major part in Shah's storyline.
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