Jen Shah, a disgraced “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star, was sentenced to six and a half years in jail on Friday for leading a multi-year telemarketing fraud that targeted elderly Americans.
In a sad address before sentencing, Shah appealed for forgiveness from Judge Sidney Stein in Manhattan federal court.
“My activities have harmed innocent individuals. “I want to apologize to all the victims and their families,” she added, promising to repay all the money she stole from them.
The disgraced reality star cried while confessing to her family and friends and told the judge that she had violated her upbringing’s “core values.”
“I wish I’d performed better. “I wish I could have seen the harm I was causing from the outside and changed course,” she added.
In July, Shah, 49, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to conduct wire fraud for giving “leads” to a group of telemarketers who tricked victims into investing in fraudulent web projects.
Beginning in 2012, the con artists offered their victims fake business services before pocketing the money and delivering “products” and “services” of little or no value.
Shah informed Judge Stein at her guilty plea hearing that she was aware the provided services were essentially worthless.
“From 2012 to March 2021, I conspired with others to commit wire fraud in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere,” stated Shah.
“I did this by knowingly providing customer names to individuals who were marketing low- or no-value business services,” she said.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan demanded that the disgraced reality television actress be sentenced to ten years in prison for her role in the conspiracy, claiming that she helped steal the victims’ life savings for nearly a decade.
“At the behest of the defendant, victims were repeatedly scammed until they had nothing left. Prosecutors noted in their sentencing memo that she and her accomplices “persisted in their conduct until the victims’ bank accounts were drained, their credit cards were maxed out, and there was nothing left to steal.”
Shah’s defense attorneys requested in their own sentencing recommendation that she be sentenced to three years in prison, stating that while she played a substantial role in the scam, she was not its leader.
Shah conducted a telemarketing scheme that targeted senior citizens.
Her attorneys claimed, “Ms. Shah’s piece of the puzzle, while significant, was insufficient to carry out this fraud without these other crucial pieces controlled and directed by experienced criminals”
They stated, “There is neither reason nor evidence to place Ms. Shah at the ‘Godfather’ or ‘Kingpin’ level of this fraud.”
Shah was facing a maximum of thirty years in prison.
»In a fraud case, ‘Real Housewives’ star Jen Shah was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in jail«