Prison was no 'Club Cupcake': Jen Shaw of 'RHOSLC' explains why she pleaded guilty to fraud

Jen Shah says she went to situation for conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud due to the fact that she made “wrong decisions” and “disregarded immense reddish flags” successful an cognition that prosecutors said ran from 2012 to 2021 and targeted thousands of victims.

After pleading blameworthy to 1 complaint of fraud successful July 2022 and being sentenced to six and a fractional years down bars the pursuing January, the erstwhile prima of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” is serving the extremity of an seemingly reduced condemnation successful a assemblage confinement program. She was transferred retired of Federal Prison Camp successful Bryan, Texas, successful December and is expected to beryllium released from the programme Aug. 30.

Prison was an oculus opener for Shah, who told People successful an interrogation published Wednesday that her archetypal time successful national situation took her enactment distant “You perceive radical accidental it’s ‘Camp Cupcake’ — it’s not. It’s prison,” she said. “I conscionable thought, ‘This cannot beryllium wherever I’m going to beryllium each day.’ ”

After sentencing, Assistant U.S. Atty. Damian Williams said Shah was the astir culpable of the galore defendants accused of participating successful a nationwide fraud scheme. Bogus “business services” were sold arsenic money-making opportunities to radical who were aged oregon different susceptible until the victims’ resources were tapped out.

Shah — who believed she was guiltless for a twelvemonth aft her apprehension — said she yet understood the scope of what she had been progressive successful erstwhile she and her ineligible squad got a look astatine a large batch of prosecutors’ evidence.

“I saw for the archetypal clip that determination were radical who were hurt,” she said. “That determination were existent victims arsenic a effect of this conspiracy. I had ne'er seen thing with my ain eyes. That changed things for me.” Her blameworthy plea came days later.

“Jen has religion successful our justness system, understands that anyone who breaks the instrumentality volition beryllium punished, and accepts this condemnation arsenic just,” Shah’s attorney, Priya Chaudhry, said successful a connection aft sentencing. “Jen volition wage her indebtedness to nine and erstwhile she is simply a escaped pistillate again, she vows to wage her indebtedness to the victims harmed by her mistakes.”

Williams summed it up astatine the clip arsenic well: “These victims were sold mendacious promises of fiscal information but alternatively Shah and her co-conspirators defrauded them retired of their savings and near them with thing to amusement for it,” helium said successful a quality release.

In summation to 78 months successful prison, Shah was ordered to forfeit $6,500,000, 30 luxury items and 78 counterfeit luxury items, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

“In essence, I trusted the incorrect radical astatine a precise susceptible clip successful my life,” Shah told People. Without shirking responsibility, the 52-year-old explained that her judgement had been clouded successful portion by different circumstances successful her life.

“My hubby [Sharrieff “Coach” Shah] and I were separated,” she said. “We were connected the verge of a divorce. I was overwhelmed with immense grief from the decease of my grandmother, my begetter and my aunt, each successful a precise abbreviated play of time. I was spiraling deeper into my antecedently diagnosed objective depression.”

Shah said she tried to debar it each astatine the clip by numbing herself with booze. Now she’s trying to marque amends, including paying much than $6.6 cardinal successful restitution and forfeiture.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.