Now that Jen Shah’s sentencing date is less than a month away, it looks like the reality of her ongoing legal issues is starting to set in. After pleading guilty back in the summer to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Jen faces between 11 and 14 years in federal prison. However, she’s asked the judge overseeing her case for a lighter sentence of three years.
CNN reported that in a new letter written to the judge, the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star is revealing more than ever before. “The terrible business decisions I made and professional relationships I developed stemmed from some personal painful experiences that I was going through in my life,” Jen wrote in a letter to the judge. Her letter was titled, “How I got involved in the situation?”
It sounds like Jen is starting to take accountability for her actions here. When she pleaded guilty, she admitted to defrauding the elderly and admitted it was wrong. But throughout her time on the show, she’s maintained her innocence. Major sigh here. Every time she releases more and more info regarding her case, it seems like it ends with her confessing to more and more.
The charges against her, and the case itself- is disgusting. I truly believe Jen will get whatever she deserves. It’s upsetting that she’s using her “personal painful experiences” to justify stealing from the elderly. Some of the victims didn’t even own a computer, let alone know how to work one.
The Hulu documentary detailed the early stages of her case and features actual victims talking about how these telemarketing schemes have scammed them of tens of thousands of dollars. There’s audio of the “ringleader” telling his “employee” to run 15 grand on someone’s credit card just for the fun of it. How gross! Yes, I’m saddened for Jen and the reality she’s facing right now, but where was her regard for the people she hurt?
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Jen’s defense attorneys asserted that Jen wasn’t a “kingpin” of the scheme. The attorneys also said that because she never had direct contact with the victims, her sentence should be lower. Prosecutors accused Jen of generating the leads for the scam.
Jen’s lawyers told the court, “Just as Jen Shah has never been a ‘housewife,’ little else is real about her persona and caricature as portrayed by the editors of RHOSLC.” This is quite funny to me because they’re representing the same woman who has done live interviews where she has admitted to being exactly that girl. Ok, sure, the Real Housewives is an edited show. We know that. We expect that. But Jen has sat in interview chairs and boasted about spending $82,000 on a party at the rented Shah Chalet.
At this point, I’ve already started closing the Jen Shah chapter in my Real Housewives history book. There’s no need for her to be there anymore. Sure, she’s entertaining TV… sometimes. But for the most part, I’ve never really LOVED her on the show. I think she puts it on for the camera rather than just being herself, and it shows.
Jen submitted 30 letters of support to the judge from her family and friends. Out of those 30, none came from any cast members of RHOSLC. She asked the judge to serve her sentence in Bryan, Texas. Her sentencing will occur on January 6th, 2023.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CONTENT OF JEN’S LETTER? DO YOU THINK SHE’LL GET A LESSER SENTENCE THAN WHAT’S PROPOSED?
[Photo Credit: Heidi Gutman/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images]