Monitoring Desk
MANHATTAN: Reality Television star Jen Shah pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for running a nationwide telemarketing scam that swindled elderly people.
Jen Shah, who projected a glamorous lifestyle on “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and admitted to luring thousands of elderly people into draining their bank accounts and maxing out their credit cards to purchase non-existent “business services.”
Standing before the federal court in Manhattan, wearing stiletto heels and a tan pantsuit, Shah said through tears that she was “deeply and profoundly sorry” and had “deluded” herself into believing that she was doing nothing wrong.
“I am solely responsible for my terrible decisions,” Shah said.
Jen Shah intends to pay debts to victims
Priya Chaudhry, Shah’s attorney, said after the hearing that her client intends to pay her debts to society and her elderly victims.
US District Judge Sidney Stein awarded the sentence, ordering Jen Shah to pay over $6.5 million in restitution and surrender a laundry list of luxury goods she acquired over the years.
In a statement, Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams said that Shah “finally faces the consequences of several years she spent targeting vulnerable, elderly victims.”
Prosecutors asked for 10 years in a prison sentence, saying Jen Shah had shown no remorse and went to every possible length to conceal her crimes.
Jen Shah initially denied the allegations after her detention in March 2021 and sold merchandise attesting to her innocence. A week before trial, she pleaded guilty and said that the money she made selling “Justice For Jen Shah” apparel would go to victims.
