The Actual Housewives of Salt Lake Metropolis‘s Jen Shah reported to federal jail on Friday to start her six and a half 12 months sentence. The 49-year-old Bravo star pleaded responsible to working a fraudulent telemarketing scheme.
Leisure Tonight and TMZ had been first to report that she surrendered on Friday afternoon. Shah is serving her time at FPC Bryan in Bryan, Texas, which is the ability her authorized workforce requested.
Simply earlier than surrendering, Shah broke her silence in a 30-minute interview with Justin Paperny, the co-founder of White Collar Service. She mentioned she was feeling “so many feelings” as she ready to enter jail. “I might be mendacity if I mentioned I wasn’t nervous and scared,” particularly to be away from her household. “However on the identical time … I additionally really feel hopeful and motivated to do a very good job and benefit from my time away.” Additionally “reduction” to begin to put this behind her.
She revealed she’d be taking two issues to jail: her Quran and an 18-page launch plan, which she mentioned “goes to assist me keep on observe” and “maintain me accountable.” She additionally mentioned she’d be journaling whereas incarcerated.
Simply forward of her give up, her legal professional Priya Chaudhry mentioned in an announcement obtained by Yahoo Leisure on Friday, “Jen Shah’s resolve to make her victims complete and to show her life round is unyielding. She is dedicated to serving her sentence with braveness and function, fueled by her want to make amends for the harm she has brought about and to assist others in her new neighborhood.”
It continued, “No impediment will deter Jen from benefiting from her time in jail and he or she’s decided to make restitution to these whose lives she has impacted. Her path forward shall be full of challenges, however with the unwavering love and assist of her household and pals, Jen is ready to face these challenges head-on and emerge from this expertise a greater one that makes a constructive influence on others.”
Of notice, FPC Bryan is identical facility the place Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes will report in April. It is a 37-acre minimum-security ladies’s jail camp about 100 miles north of Houston. One authorized knowledgeable informed Bloomberg the comfortable facility is like “heaven” in comparison with different prisons. Health and leisure packages are provided to advertise constructive life-style adjustments for inmates. Leisure actions embody video games, sports activities, pastime crafts, music packages, social and cultural organizations and film nights, in line with the handbook.
Based on her interview with Paperny, Shah’s anticipating to get a 15 % sentence discount as soon as she begins her sentence. NBC Information defined that federal inmates can earn as much as 54 days of fine time credit score a 12 months, so Shah’s sentence may find yourself being 5 1/2 years of precise time served.
Days earlier than reporting to jail, Shah confirmed off a brand new tattoo honoring her household. The fact star inked “Sharrieff Omar Sharrieff” on her arm, which represents her husband, Sharrieff Shah, and their sons, Sharrieff Jr., 28, and Omar, 19.
Shah and her associates defrauded “hundreds” of aged and susceptible people, in line with federal prosecutors, as they ran their nationwide rip-off. The federal government known as her “probably the most culpable particular person” within the case as she had direct data about what was happening.
“On the defendant’s course, victims had been defrauded over and over till that they had nothing left. She and her co-conspirators endured of their conduct till the victims’ financial institution accounts had been empty, their bank cards had been at their limits, and there was nothing extra to take,” prosecutors wrote of their sentencing memorandum in search of a 10-year jail sentence. Shah — who hoped for 3 years behind bars — was sentenced to 78 months.
After, her legal professional Chaudhry informed Yahoo she “deeply regrets the errors that she has made and is profoundly sorry to the individuals she has harm. Jen has religion in our justice system, understands that anybody who breaks the regulation shall be punished, and accepts this sentence as simply.”
Shah, a self-proclaimed direct advertising and marketing “wizard,” has starred on RHOSLC because the present premiered in 2020. Her authorized woes have been a significant storyline the final two years as she vehemently proclaimed her innocence. Followers had been surprised in July when she modified her plea.
The fact star, at all times dressed head to toe in couture, was identified for emotional and unstable outbursts on the Bravo program. She did not seem to point out any sympathy for the victims, lots of whom misplaced their life-savings, and even profited off the ordeal promoting “Justice for Jen” merchandise.
Previous to her interview with Paperny, Shah scrapped scheduled plans to publicly deal with her responsible plea, together with skipped out on attending the Season 3 reunion in December. Final month, she canceled a one-on-one interview with Andy Cohen.
“Too many individuals have been harm by my actions and my lack of ability to regulate my very own narrative,” she wrote on social media after backing out of the interview. “I’d moderately stay silent and wait till I’m able to precisely share my story than proceed having full lies and misrepresentations about me smeared throughout the headlines. I intend to talk and you’ll hear from me. I’ll share my story and this painful a part of my life very quickly.”
After jail, Shah shall be required to take part in a psychological well being remedy program as a part of her probation. She’s going to bear 5 years of supervised launch. The TV persona has been open about her psychological well being struggles and revealed on an episode of RHOSLC she tried suicide after being charged within the case.