What’s next? After Jen Shah pleaded guilty in her highly publicized fraud case, the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star’s future has changed drastically.
“I think she’s probably going to get the low end of the [prison sentence] range. 135 months or a lesser sentence,” Neama Rahmani, former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, exclusively told Us Weekly about Shah’s case on Tuesday, July 12. “These are very high guidelines. I wouldn’t be surprised if a judge deviated downwards.”
The reality star, 48, was arrested in March 2021 alongside assistant Stuart Smith. Shah, for her part, was accused of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. After initially pleading not guilty, the Bravo personality changed her plea on Monday, June 11.
“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 court hearing in New York City. “I knew this was wrong. I knew many people were harmed and I’m so sorry.”
Shah, who previously faced up to 30 years in prison for the wire fraud charge, could be given a prison sentence of up to 14 years. (The U.S. Attorney’s office dropped the second charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering following the change in her plea.)
“Ms. Shah is a good woman who crossed a line. She accepts full responsibility for her actions and deeply apologizes to all who have been harmed,” Shah’s lawyer Priya Chaudhry told Us in a statement on Monday. “Ms. Shah is also sorry for disappointing her husband, children, family, friends, and supporters. Jen pled guilty because she wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family.”
According to Rahmani, Shah’s sentencing will have a different conclusion because she entered a guilty plea. Smith, for his part, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice in November 2021. He initially claimed he was not guilty in the fraud case.
“Jen was potentially looking at an additional 100 months in prison, if she took the case to trial and lost. It’s a lot of time, but it would’ve been much worse if she went to trial and was convicted,” Rahmani explained to Us. “It really depends on the judge. They have complete and total discretion when it comes to sentencing and she’s waived her right to appeal.”
Amid Shah’s legal issues, Bravo exec Andy Cohen weighed in on the Utah native’s decision. “All it means is you’re changing your guilty plea,” Cohen, 54, said during an episode of his Radio Andy show on Monday. “I don’t know how I feel about this.”
Scroll down for a breakdown of Rahmani’s thoughts on Shah’s legal woes:
According to Rahmani, Shah's decision to change her plea "wasn't surprising" due to the strong case against her. "When [the Southern District of New York] indict a fraud case, that tends to be an ironclad bulletproof case," he said. "I'm sure she saw the writing on the wall because it was going to end very badly." Courtesy Jen Shah/Instagram
"There's plenty of evidence [against Jen]. There's phone calls. There's a digital trail. In terms of the money she was using, she paid for rent. I mean, it's all there. So it was a very strong case on the merits. It's not something that she would've been able to defend," the legal expert claimed, noting that Shah's guilty plea showed an "acceptance of responsibility." Rahmani added: "The fact that she pled guilty, even though it was a week before the trial, the judge is going to consider that. [She] accepted responsibility [and will] pay restitution criminal restitution. It doesn't change what [she] did, but it is a mitigating factor and a reason that she can receive a lesser sentence." Courtesy of Jen Shah/Instagram
Even though the U.S. Attorney's office dropped the second charge against Shah, Rahmani pointed out that the TV personality was already pleading to "the more serious charges" of fraud. "It really doesn't have any effect. Very few judges would run the sentences consecutively. They would run the time concurrently, which means at the same time," he said. "They wouldn't pile them. They [would go] back-to-back." Courtesy of Jen Shah/Instagram
"If you are a coconspirator, so if you participate in a scheme to defraud, you are on the hook for the full amount of the fraud," Rahmani explained while weighing in on Smith's sentencing. "Even if you don't pocket the money. Even though [Stuart] is a participant in the fraud, he plays a more minor role because he wasn't receiving these fraudulent proceeds. I would expect a judge to give him a lesser sentence because of his role in the scene." Chad Kirkland/Bravo
Ahead of her sentencing, Shah will presumably have the same conditions to follow as before she changed her plea. "I'm sure her travel is limited and [she has got to continue] the conditions of pretrial release," Rahmani mentioned. "Now, once she gets sentenced, then she goes from the custody of pretrial services to the bureau of prisons." The reality star's sentencing will change the "very specific guidelines" that will be enforced due to her status as a convicted felon. "Once she pleads guilty, that's all gone. She's a felon," the attorney said. "She can't vote, she can't have a gun and all those types of things happen for a felony conviction." Courtesy of Jen Shah/Instagram
"She's going to be in federal prison for years and you got to serve 85 percent by statute. She's going to miss many, many, many seasons of the Housewives," Rahmani claimed to Us about Shah's time with Bravo. With reporting by Diana Cooper Chad Kirkland/Bravo
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