Jen Shah is seemingly taking responsibility for her role in a massive fraud scheme that landed her 6.5 years in the slammer. Well, sort of. In a new interview on the YouTube channel White Collar Advice, Jen revealed exclusive behind-the-scenes details about her messy legal case. And thankfully for us, she started right at the beginning.
When the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 2 trailer dropped, Bravo editors immediately pulled fans in by teasing the dramatic moment when Jen was allegedly tipped off in the sprinter van. For fans of the show, this was when the news started spreading online. Immediately everyone wanted to know what the truth was, and at the time, Jen declared her innocence. However, based on her case’s conclusion, we all know she wasn’t being honest.
When asked how Jen felt when she learned she was a target, she said, “My immediate response was they must have the wrong person. They must have this all wrong. I didn’t do anything. That was my immediate response,” she added.
“I was in complete denial at that time. And for a long time throughout the process. Because I truly believed and was telling myself that I’m not guilty of these things that they’re accusing me of.”
Yikes, Jen. It’s not like you pleaded guilty in the summer a year later and gave a statement that admitted to your wrongdoing. Couldn’t you have come up with something a little better?
In fact, when asked if you knew what you were pleading guilty to, you said, “Wire fraud, offering services with little to no value. We used interstate telephone and emails. I knew many of the purchasers were over the age of 55. I am so sorry.”
Following Jen’s arrest and guilty plea, RHOSLC didn’t feature many personal scenes of Jen speaking about her case extensively. Many fans, myself included, hoped Season 3 would be more of a deep dive into her thought process since we knew what would be coming. However, viewers were given a 15-minute segment during the finale episode featuring Meredith Marks and Heather Gay having a sit-down with Jen and her husband, Sharrieff Shah.
Knowing that she eventually confirmed her part in this crime, many viewers wanted to know why she denied her role for so long. “At the time of the arrest, that’s when I first found out about the investigation. When the arrest happened, I was absolutely in denial that any of these accusations were real,” Jen said.
“And you don’t have all the information at the beginning of an investigation. You don’t know all the details or how they arrived at those charges just yet.”
RELATED: Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City Star Jen Shah Gets Two Tattoos Before Reporting To Prison
Jen admitted that she worked with her team to the best of her ability after her arrest. “I thought I was working very openly with my lawyers and conveying all of the facts as I recalled them, and what my involvement was. But then, when I fasted forward, it was like I was in this tunnel. And I was only seeing what I wanted to see and what I wanted to recall, and what I thought.” She continued, “Because, again, my perception was, I didn’t do this. I didn’t do this. I was in denial.”
Later on, things became real for the former reality star. “It wasn’t until … a year later where finally … I had difficult conversations with my attorneys because I realized I had to take some responsibility. I realized that you know what, I made a mistake, and my mistakes hurt people. My mistakes created victims; people were hurt from this,” Jen stated. “My role in this, as a result of that, hurt a lot of people. And that was really hard for me to finally accept.”
Although Jen owns her part in this, hearing her continue to say she truly believed she was innocent is genuinely ridiculous. Girl, the Feds almost kicked your front door down, and you were arrested on the side of the road. They basically had your name in red underlined. What about that didn’t seem real?
Who knows. What I do know is that Season 4 of RHOSLC better make up for all of the shenanigans over the last few years. You all ran the best thing about that show (Mary M. Cosby) off, gave a known racist public attention, and made me play Clue trying to figure out who gave Heather a black eye. I’m OVER it. And hopefully, Jen reporting to prison will give us all a fresh start.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT JEN’S STATEMENTS? DO YOU BELIEVE SHE REALLY THOUGHT SHE WAS INNOCENT?
[Photo by: Randy Shropshire/Bravo]
