Bravo reality personality Jen Shah has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star plead guilty to fraud charges on July 11, 2022, stemming from a nearly decade-long telemarketing scheme. According to Variety, the U.S. Attorney’s office claimed that Shah was the leader of a “nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that victimized thousands of innocent people.” During the July 11 hearing, Shah agreed to pay her victims, most of which were elderly, $9 million in restitution.

Although the hearing was not televised, several outlets covered today’s sentencing hearing that took place in front of Judge Sidney Stein in the Southern District of New York. According to multiple outlets, Shah apologized to her victims, son, and late father and mentioned her volunteer efforts with anti-racism groups and the LGBTQ community.

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Shah will serve her prison term in Texas and must surrender on Feb. 17. Once she is released (those convicted of federal charges must serve 85% of their sentence behind bars), she will serve five years of supervised release. Shah has the right to appeal.

Many have been baffled by Shah’s involvement in the scam, as echoed in a sentencing memo from the U.S. Attorney’s office from Dec. 23, that reads: “Unlike any of the others, the defendant had a spouse who made a very good living: she had no need to commit the crime to support herself or her family, she did so out of pure greed.” Shah’s husband is a football coach for the Utah Utes.

Jen Shah and Bravo’s Rocky Road

     Bravo

Shah is an original member of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, which premiered in November 2020. The current season’s final episode airs on Jan. 11, with a cast reunion special set to follow in the next weeks. In December, Shah took to her on Instagram to inform the public that she would not be participating in the reunion under advisement from her attorneys.

During her March 30, 2021, arrest in Salt Lake City, UT, Shah was recording the second season of the Bravo reality series. Although the actual arrest was not recorded, viewers witnessed the events right before her arrest. Shah was to go on a group trip with cast members when she received a phone call. After removing her microphone, she advised cast members that she had to leave as her husband had been hospitalized. Shortly after her exit, the remaining women and production team were surrounded by law enforcement looking for Shah.

Throughout the remainder of the second season and the ongoing third season, Shah has maintained her innocence. Her tagline for the series’ current season: “The only thing I’m guilty of is being Shah-mazing,” became a source of contention during the hearing, as the U.S. Attorney accused it of a mockery of Shah’s victims. Shah blamed her poor public perception on Bravo’s editing, claiming they were responsible for her tagline. Ironically, Shah stated during today’s sentencing hearing that she remains on the show and that doing so will aid her in paying restitution.