Additional Coverage:
- Former ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ star Jen Shah moved from prison to community program (latimes.com)
Former “Real Housewives” Star Jen Shah Transferred to Community Confinement Program
Jennifer Shah, formerly a prominent figure on “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” has been moved from federal prison to a community confinement program. This transfer comes after Shah served less than half of her sentence for her involvement in a widespread telemarketing fraud scheme.
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Shah was transferred on Wednesday morning from the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas. She is now under the supervision of the Phoenix Residential Reentry Management Office’s program, indicating she is either in home confinement or residing in a halfway house. Her anticipated release date is August 30th.
“For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any individual, including reasons for transfers or release plans, nor do we specify an individual’s specific location while in community confinement,” stated BOP spokesperson Emery Nelson in an email to the Associated Press.
Shah, 52, was sentenced in 2023 to six and a half years in prison for her role in a telemarketing scam that spanned nearly a decade. Assistant U.S.
Attorney Robert Sobelman previously identified Shah as the most culpable among more than 30 defendants implicated in the nationwide fraud. This scheme targeted vulnerable, often elderly, or technologically unsophisticated individuals, luring them with promises of substantial income through bogus online businesses.
In July 2022, Shah pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge. During her sentencing, she expressed apologies to the “innocent people” she admitted to harming and committed to paying $6.5 million in restitution and forfeiture upon her release.
Prosecutors detailed how Shah utilized the illicit proceeds to fund a lavish lifestyle, including a nearly 10,000-square-foot mansion in Utah known as “Shah Ski Chalet,” an apartment in midtown Manhattan, and a leased Porsche Panamera. The government also noted that Shah appeared to mock the charges against her, famously claiming, “the only thing I’m guilty of is being Shah-mazing,” and subsequently profiting by marketing “Justice for Jen” merchandise after her arrest.
During her sentencing, Shah apologized again, stating that the proceeds from the merchandise would be directed toward victims. “I alone am responsible for my terrible decisions.
It was all my fault and all my wrongdoing,” Shah affirmed, adding, “I wish I could have stood outside myself and seen the harm I was causing and changed course. I am profoundly and deeply sorry.”