Photo: Chad Kirkland/Bravo/Getty Images
With Jen Shah‘s sentencing date rapidly approaching, authorities are recommending that the Bravolebrity spend the next 10 years behind bars.
Jen, whose rise to public prominence came through The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, pleaded guilty to wire fraud during the summer. Through her plea deal, Jen could’ve faced a maximum of 14 years in prison, though it appears as though the U.S. government is only seeking to hit her with a 10-year sentence, according to People.
In a letter addressed to Judge Sidney H. Stein on Friday, officials recommended that she be sentenced to 120 months in prison.
They went IN while explaining their rationale, as they slammed Jen as “an integral leader” in the scheme, which was centered on defrauding older adults until “there was nothing more to take.”
“For nearly a decade, the defendant was an integral leader of a wide-ranging, nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that victimized thousands of innocent people. Many of those people were elderly or vulnerable. Many of those people suffered significant financial hardship and damage. At the defendant’s direction, victims were defrauded over and over again until they had nothing left. She and her co-conspirators persisted in their conduct until the victims’ bank accounts were empty, their credit cards were at their limits, and there was nothing more to take.”
Furthermore, Jen was also accused of “[taking] a series of increasingly extravagant steps to conceal her criminal conduct from the authorities.”
The fact that Jen Shah proclaimed her innocence on TV and social media “[until] the eleventh hour” was also thrown in her face.
“Despite the defendant’s best efforts, she got caught. She then went on a public offensive and tried to profit off the charges by selling ‘Justice for Jen’ merchandise. She pled guilty at the eleventh hour, only after receiving the Government’s trial exhibits and witness statements. In light of her conduct and her post-arrest behavior, her belated expressions of remorse ring hollow.”
Jen will be sentenced on Jan. 6, and the world will learn her fate then.
While on the subject of Jen Shah, we have to add that—just last week—her Utah home was raided by feds.
Notably, TMZ reports that over 30 counterfeit handbags were seized, as well as more than 40 pieces of fake jewelry. However, some authentic pieces were also seized in the raid.
We should also point out that, just a day after the raid, the RHOSLC season 3 reunion was taped. However, Jen ultimately didn’t attend, and she gave viewers further context to the decision through a social media statement.
“I was clear with Bravo that out of respect for the courts and a standing judicial order, I would not be in a position to discuss anything related to my legal case or sentencing. Bravo found this unsatisfactory and said they expected to discuss this ‘storyline.’ That expectation has no regard for me or my family’s well-being; so under legal advice, I will not be attending reunion. I need to focus on the most important thing in my life-my family.”
What are your thoughts on the situation, and do you think Jen Shah’s departure could negatively impact the future of RHOSLC?
