Jen Shah is fessing up to culpability over the reality TV star’s ongoing fraud fracas.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City celeb has surprisingly decided to plea guilty in her ongoing telemarketing fraud case, according to documents newly filed with the federal court in Manhattan. According to Page Six, which first obtained the court docs, Shah met with U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein at 10:30 a.m. local time in New York City on Monday morning. During the meeting, which the outlet terms a “surprise hearing,” Shah apparently changed her plea from not guilty, which it had been previously, to guilty.
Related: Andy Cohen Has NO Problem With Watching Jen Shah’s Legal Drama Play Out On TV!
As we’ve been reporting, Shah allgedly scammed lots of people through a complicated telemarketing scheme. She’s said to have specifically targeted elderly people in the fraud, per prior reports. But now it seems as though the long arm of the law has caught up with the RHOSLC personality once and for all…
Reporters from the scene confirmed the shocking news, too. In a report published to Twitter on Monday morning, Courthouse News journo Josh Russell informed the public about the 48-year-old reality star’s shocking legal move:
— JOSH RUSSELL (@jruss_jruss) July 11, 2022
Russell went on from there, adding:
“Jen Shah sworn in to plead guilty on the first count of her criminal indictment in connection with telemarketing fraud scheme that prosecutors said preyed on the elderly.”
The journalist also explained more about the possible prison sentence Shah could face once the legal process fully runs its course later this year. Per the reporter, the guilty plea comes with a sentencing guideline range of somewhere more than a decade (!!) in prison on the telemarketing fraud issue. However, as Russell notes, Judge Stein is not required to follow the guidelines to the letter, and could alter the sentence some when it comes up:
“Shah waives public reading of the indictment. SDNY Judge Sidney Stein advises Jen Shah that she faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and 5 years of supervised release on the one count she is pleading guilty to. Jen Shah’s plea agreement with the government stipulates a sentence guideline range (which Judge Stein doesn’t have to follow) of 135 to 168 months in prison – 11.25 to 14 years, and $9.5 million in restitution.”
Wow. Even at the lower end of that range, 135 months is a LONG time!!
Here is more from Russell, who was on hand to watch the Bravo public figure walk out of court later on Monday after the plea meeting was completed (below):
No comment or statement from Jen Shah as she leaves the courthouse after entering guilty plea on federal telemarketing fraud charge on Monday morning. pic.twitter.com/0J0YwqQRwl
— JOSH RUSSELL (@jruss_jruss) July 11, 2022
So we suppose we’ll be watching closely after Thanksgiving to see what ends up happening with her sentencing hearing. But in some regards, Monday marks a quick and unexpected ending to what had been a seriously controversial case! Reactions, Perezcious readers??
[Image via Bravo/YouTube]
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