Reality TV star Jen Shah is pleading guilty to running a telemarketing scheme.
Shah, one of the stars of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York announced Monday.
The “Housewives” cast member, along with her personal assistant, Stuart Smith, was arrested last year and accused of engaging in a nearly decadelong scam that defrauded hundreds of victims throughout the country by “selling those victims so-called ‘business services’ in connection with the victims’ purported online business.”
Many of the victims were described by the U.S. attorney’s office as “elderly” and “vulnerable.”
The charge typically carries a prison sentence of up to 30 years, but under the terms of the guilty plea, prosecutors said they would recommend Shah serve between 11 and 14 years. The 48-year-old Park City resident — who flaunted her luxurious lifestyle as one of the “Housewives” — agreed to forfeit $6.5 million and pay up to $9.5 million in restitution, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Shah is scheduled to be sentenced in November.