From being a top reality TV star to a federal prison convict, the real housewife is now ready to pay for her crimes.
As of today, Jen Shah, from Bravo’s hit reality show “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” is officially behind bars. She turned herself in yesterday to begin serving her prison sentence, which is 6.5 years jail term.
Shah ultimately arrived at FPC Bryan in Bryan, Texas, where she had been told to report by her counsel, according to a number of press sources. Before giving herself up, she spoke and had an interview with White Collar Advice, with her lawyer one more time to explain her side of the story.
“I was absolutely in denial that any of these accusations were real,” she explained of her decision to alter her plea from not guilty to guilty on July 2022. “Because I’m like, I’m not a bad person. No. I’ve helped so many people. I’m a good person. I would never do these things. I truly… I believed that. I really believed that.”
Nevertheless, it wasn’t until she saw a list of victim names that she realized some individuals had been harmed because of what she had done. And because she had previously been telling herself she had never spoken to a victim herself, the reality star had developed the idea that she “couldn’t have done any of those things.”
“My actions caused harm to people. I did not want to accept that at all. I was lying to myself and telling myself what I wanted to hear,” she continued. “The reality of going to prison? I did not want that to be a reality. That wasn’t supposed to be my reality, and that thinking fostered more bad decisions for me throughout the legal process.”
The real housewife, in spite of everything, expresses relief and a desire to go forward and heal, stating, “There is a sense of relief because, during this entire trip, there was so much ambiguity going through it, and there was so much uncertainty.”
“Now, for the first time, I’m in a position where I know what is happening tomorrow. I know what’s happening. I know where I’m gonna be tomorrow. I know what my plan is going forward, so there’s a sense of relief that I’m going to be able to put the past behind me and finally start truly healing and forging a new path.”
Shah even revealed her plan once she stepped foot in prison, one of which was a release plan. “I plan on spending my time waking up early, spending the early morning time writing, [and] reading. I have built into my release plan the first 12 books on my reading list that I’ll be, you know, sharing with everybody and also doing book reports on.”
“Exercising. I also want to give back and hopefully be able to inspire other women and… hopefully create some kind of course for teaching in the prison, to teach this release plan.”
Shah’s imprisonment comes after she was sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison in January to charges of conspiring to conduct wire fraud for her participation in a telemarketing scheme.
Prior to that, her legal team pleaded with a judge to reduce her sentence in a telemarketing fraud case to just three years in prison. This is a result of their claim that the reality star didn’t conceive the scam and didn’t communicate with the fraud victims.
Moreover, the Bravo star’s interview with White Collar Advice comes after she backed out of her supposed interview with Bravo executive Andy Cohen because of a disagreement in terms of the contract between them before doing the interview.
Jen Shah will now have to deal with the repercussions of her actions, but she seems to be maintaining her optimism and hope that she will be able to clear her reputation. The outcome of this circumstance cannot be predicted ahead of time, but Shah’s life will never be the same.
Reactions to "RHOSLC" Jen Shah Officially Behind Bars And Gave Final Interview Before Turning Herself In
Happy Jen Shah reports to prison day for all who celebrate!
Happy Jen Shah reports to prison day for all who celebrate! pic.twitter.com/17jYGZlhEs
— Michael Wachowiak (@mikewachowiak) February 17, 2023
Jen Shah surrendering to prison today #RHOSLC
Jen Shah surrendering to prison today #RHOSLC pic.twitter.com/v3oEk2b5v7
— Christian Snow (@theCGSshow) February 17, 2023
When Jen Shah gets to the prison showers and hears “hey pretty lady”
When Jen Shah gets to the prison showers and hears “hey pretty lady” pic.twitter.com/tS32Anb1oV
— frankie says relax (@frankbluecheck) February 17, 2023