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NEW YORK – Jen Shah, the embattled "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" reality star who pleaded guilty to 1 number of fraud in July, has been sentenced to six and a half years successful situation for her relation successful a telemarketing scheme.
Judge Sidney H. Stein ruled Friday that the Bravo personage would walk 78 months down bars, contempt prosecutors' suggested sentence of 120 months, for fraud conspiracy aft she admitted to participating in a nationwide telemarketing strategy successful summation to 5 years of supervision aft her release.
Shah besides agreed to forfeit $6.5 cardinal and to wage $9.5 cardinal successful restitution arsenic portion of her plea agreement.
"I mean to repay each reddish cent," Shah said successful her connection to the tribunal Friday.
The justice ordered for the world prima to crook herself successful to authorities to statesman her condemnation Feb.17.
Fans be condemnation proceeding to spot situation time and outfit
Bravo fans stood extracurricular the Manhattan courthouse, in rainy conditions hours earlier the scheduled hearing, in the hopes of being among the archetypal to cognize how many years the world TV prima would walk down bars.
Aside from her pending situation sentence, fans had different lingering question: What would Shah, who is often seen connected surface wearing decorator labels and ornate jewelry, deterioration to perceive her fate? Before the justice heard last words from Shah's attorneys and prosecutors, he made wide that her Bravo property was not wrong the courtroom.
"A quality your lawsuit plays … is simply a character," Stein said, noting that Shah's TV beingness is "a heavy scripted operation." He added that the tribunal volition not "confuse" world with acting.
Shah exited the elevators flanked by information and tribunal officers wearing a camel-colored suit and leopard people stiletto heels. Upon entering the courtroom she took a spot betwixt her husband, Sharrieff, and eldest son, Sharrieff Jr., earlier sitting with her attorneys during the proceeding.
Attorneys accidental victim statements turned Shah's plea
Initially, Shah pleaded not blameworthy to charges of fraud conspiracy and maintained her innocence for much than a twelvemonth arsenic she continued to movie for "RHOSLC."
Shah's attorney, Priya Chaudhry, said her client's efforts to maintain innocence "ended" after the suspect work statements from the victims of her telemarketing scheme, which consisted of promoting bogus services arsenic susceptible of enabling radical to marque wealth done online businesses.
"Remorse tin beryllium genuine adjacent if it shows up late," Chaudry said.
Prosecutors accidental Shah cheated thousands of radical nationwide, including immoderate implicit property 55. Shah's attorneys said their lawsuit was mostly unaware of the fraud due to the fact that she didn't talk oregon spot her victims portion operating her business. Prosecutors said Shah's blindness to the wounded she caused victims was "preposterous."
Prosecuting attorney Robert Sobelman said Shah ran her ain income level and hired radical arsenic she was successful New York "half the year" conducting business. In his connection to Stein, Sobelman mentioned however prosecutors allegedly recovered messages successful her telephone "laughing" with her co-conspirators astir "defrauding people."
More: 'Real Housewives' prima Jen Shah pleads blameworthy successful fraud case
Sobelman said if the grounds they collected against Shah had gone to trial, the effect would beryllium "devastating" and called Shah's alleged offenses "prolific" successful examination to her co-conspirators.
Friday's sentencing was primitively acceptable for November. Shah was archetypal detained by authorities March 2021 successful Salt Lake City portion Bravo cameras were rolling up of a girls travel to Vail, Colorado. Shah's assistant Stuart Smith was besides arrested and charged with conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud. Smith pleaded guilty in November, according to People.
Jen Shah addresses the court, apologizes to son
Stein gave Shah an accidental to code the tribunal earlier handing down his ruling.
In her statement, she reiterated that her world TV persona is "invented, designed" and "edited" for entertainment. Shah besides tearfully made an apology to her household for the "shame" and "embarrassment I've brought upon them."
Shah talked astir the mode the proceedings has affected her household during Wednesday's occurrence of "RHOSLC" portion talking with her therapist.
'Not guilty' oregon 'guilty': 'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' prima Jen Shah pleads not blameworthy successful telemarketing scheme
"I consciousness similar I'm not successful control," Shah told her therapist in the episode. "I'm disquieted that, arsenic a mom, person I done thing wherever it's affected Omar. … No kid should person to spell though this."
In tribunal she apologized to her youngest lad Omar, specifically, for the "trauma" helium experienced aft officers drew guns astatine him portion looking to apprehension his parent successful March 2021.
"Mommy is truthful sorry," Shah said. " (I am) wholly accepting of the consequences of my actions."
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U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said successful a connection aft Shah's July proceeding that the prima was a "key participant" successful a "scheme that targeted elderly, susceptible victims.”
Prosecutors accidental Shah was operating the Manhattan-based income level of the telemarketing strategy and controlled the day-to-day operations portion besides moving immoderate of the business' operations to Kosovo to dodge instrumentality enforcement and regulatory scrutiny.
Shah took assorted steps to fell her relation successful the fraud, prosecutors said, including incorporating her concern entities utilizing 3rd parties’ names, instructing others to bash the aforesaid and directing others to usage encrypted messaging applications to pass with each other.
Contributing: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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