The reality TV star, who was chased down by authorities on camera during season 2 of the Bravo series, has been formally sentenced to 78 months — or, six and a half years — in prison for wire fraud.
In a statement provided to EW, Shah’s lawyer Priya Chaudhry said, “Jen Shah deeply regrets the mistakes that she has made and is profoundly sorry to the people she has hurt. 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.”
Shah’s husband, Sharrieff Shah, and their two sons, Sharrieff Shah Jr. and Omar Shah, were present in court Friday in New York when U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein passed the official sentencing.
“People should not confuse the character [Shah] played on an entertainment show with the person I have before me,” the judge said, per NBC News. “The other is acting, and this is reality.”
Initially claiming innocence and pleading not guilty, Shah changed her plea to guilty in July on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Shah stated that she had “agreed with others to commit wire fraud” in a telemarketing scheme that prosecutors argued defrauded thousands of people nationwide, many of whom were older than the age of 55.
The prosecution pushed for a 10-year sentence, though Shah’s lawyers were confident the Bravolebrity would not receive more than three years in prison. A probation report urged Stein to give a six-year sentence.
In court Friday, Chaudhry stated that it was only after her client saw the full extent of the government’s evidence that she realized what she had done.
Shah and her assistant Stuart Smith, also seen on RHOSLC, were arrested in March 2021 on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. They were accused of selling “so-called ‘business services’ in connection with the victims’ purported online businesses.”
Those services included “tax preparation or website design services, notwithstanding that many victims were elderly and did not own a computer,” according to the indictment.
Federal prosecutors used Shah’s presence on RHOSLC against her. Shah notably said in her tagline for the show, “The only thing I’m guilty of is being Shah-mazing,” but the opposing council argued that the line showed how she was mocking the system.
Prosecutors also stated throughout the proceedings that Shah had used profits to live out a life of luxury, which included her nicknamed “Shah Ski Chalet” mansion in Park City, Utah (now listed for $7.4 million); a rented apartment in midtown Manhattan in New York City; a leased Porsche Panamera; hundreds of thousands of dollars in luxury goods; and various cosmetic procedures.
The ensuing drama played out on RHOSLC as Shah’s costars processed what was happening. Shah maintained her innocence across the third season, which premiered in September.
Fans of the show gathered outside the court in New York for the judge’s sentencing.
“We are here for one reason: the innocent people who have suffered,” Chaudhry said in court.
“The [victims] worked hard and tried their best, and their lives are forever mangled now,” Chaudhry added. “For the rest of Ms. Shah’s life, she will remember their names.
Source: People
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