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Bravo’s reality TV series Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has been making the news in recent months, but for all the wrong reasons. One of the series’ stars, Jen Shah, was caught in a wire fraud scandal last year. Fans of the show shockingly watched the reality TV star get arrested for wire fraud charges and money laundering during a season episode. Jen responded by going on a “not guilty” tour, which garnered some support from her co-stars and fans. However, they were all let down when Jen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud by running a telemarketing scheme that defrauded senior people out of thousands of dollars.
On Friday, January 6, Jen received 6.5 years in prison sentence at a federal court ruling handled by U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein in New York City. The government had sought a 10-year prison term, while Jen’s lawyers requested a more lenient sentencing of 3 years. Also, Jen agreed to make the restitution of over $9 million to her victims. She is expected to report at a federal prison on February 17. Following her jail time, Jen would also undergo five years of supervised release.
Fans Think Jen Got off Easy
Fans of the RHOSLC have followed Jen Shah’s wire fraud case since the news made headlines last year. Since fans of the reality series first met Jen when RHOSLC premiered in 2020, she has remained a major attraction due to her expensive lifestyle. She had no problem showing off her wealth in the series by throwing lavish parties and buying luxury items. So, it was not a surprise that many viewers wanted to see her go down for her crimes. Many fans even took time off to travel to New York City to witness Jen’s sentencing personally.
Following the sentencing, the show’s fans have voiced their dissatisfaction with the prison time given to the TV star. While commenting on the popular social media platform Reddit, many fans pointed at the poor defense put up by her legal team and felt the Judge was too lenient with his ruling. Others were more focused on the vulnerability of her victims and felt that should have at least forced the Judge to be more ruthless in his verdict. While commenting, one user wrote:
“Not enough time iyam. That woman used vulnerable people as her personal bank account.”
Some Fans Feel Jen Shows No Remorse
Before her sentencing, a tearful Jen declared to the court that she was “deeply sorry” for her crimes and went further to “apologize to all her victims.” Additionally, Jen made sure to disown her public persona and blamed it on her misleading role in Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. The RHOSLC star revealed she is a very different person in reality.
However, she showed no visible reaction to Judge Sidney Stein’s verdict. Her behavior angered fans, who felt she was acting a script in the court and showed no remorse for her crimes. Since the verdict, fans have flooded social media with several negative comments targeted at the embattled reality TV star. Recently, some show viewers took to Reddit to air their views, and many commenters tore into Jen without holding back.
One of the users wrote:
“It’s a federal sentence, and she can’t be released for at least five years. That being said, she’s a horrible narcissist, a toxic human and I’m glad she was sentenced to several years in prison.”
Although the 49-year-old star spent most of her time on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City as one of the fan favorites, she broke the hearts of many of her fans with her terrible crime. Jen Shah may feel sorry for her crimes nevertheless, the reality star will still spend time behind bars.