Jen Shah. Courtesy of Jen Shah/Instagram
Jen Shah got emotional as she apologized to her husband Sharrieff Shah, and their sons after being sentenced to six and a half years in prison on Friday, January 6.
“I am profoundly and deeply sorry,” the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star, 49, told Sharrieff, 51, Sharrieff Jr., 28, and Omar, 19, according to ABC reporter Aaron Katersky. “Reality TV has nothing to do with reality.”
The football coach and his sons sat behind Jen as Judge Sidney Stein sentenced to her 78 months in prison with five years of supervised release. Stein ordered Jen to report to prison on February 17.
Jen, who rose to fame after appearing in the hit Bravo series, made headlines when she was arrested in March 2021 alongside assistant Stuart Smith. Her former employee initially pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He later changed his plea to guilty.
The reality star, for her part, also shocked people when she changed her plea ahead of her trial. “In 2012 to March 2021 in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere I agreed with others to commit wire fraud,” she said during a June 2022 court hearing in New York City. “I knew this was wrong. I knew many people were harmed and I’m so sorry.”
At the time, Jen admitted that she knew what she was involved in was “wrong and illegal.” After previously facing up to 30 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s office dropped the second charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Ahead of her sentencing, Bravo executive producer Andy Cohen revealed he wasn’t sure if Jen would return to the network. “She’s being sentenced on [January 6], so I don’t know what to say to people who want her on the show,” Cohen, 54, exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2022. “I hope that she gets no jail time whatsoever and she can come right back … but I have a feeling that she’s not going to be available to be on the show.”
He added: “Some people on Twitter were saying, ‘We want Jen next season.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, well, talk to the judge.’”
After filming seasons 2 and 3 of RHOSLC amid her legal issues, Jen confirmed she did not film the recent reunion. “On September 14, 2022, I was informed by Bravo executives that I was not invited to attend the Season 3 reunion,” she claimed in a statement shared via Instagram in December 2022. “I was disappointed because I would have no venue to confront inaccuracies and address my storyline with cast members.”
According to Jen, the network later asked her to come to the taping but she refused because of her ongoing legal woes.
“I was elated to learn I would now have a voice at [the] reunion,” she continued. “I was clear with Bravo that out of respect for the courts and a standing judicial order, I would not be in a position to discuss anything related to my legal case or sentencing. Bravo found this unsatisfactory and said they expected to discuss this ‘story line.’ That expectation has no regard for me or my family’s well-being; so under legal advice, I will not be attending reunion. I need to focus on the most important thing in my life — my family.”