On The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Jen Shah recently faced some legal issues related to events that happened during production. Many are wondering just how exposed the other housewives were to Jen's fraud and how much they knew. Here is everything to know about the scandal.
On March 30, Jen was arrested in a telemarketing fraud scheme. One of her assistants, Stuart Smith, who appeared on the RHOSLC, was also arrested as a part of the fraud case. They were both charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. According to People, “Jennifer Shah, who portrays herself as a wealthy and successful business person on ‘reality television, and Stuart Smith, who is portrayed as Shah’s ‘first assistant’, allegedly generated and sold ‘lead lists’ of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam." Fellow RHOSLC cast members were close enough to Shah to potentially be aware of what was going on. People also revealed that the RHOSLC cast went on a trip while filming to Vail and that Jen was with them, indicating that she was arrested while working on RHOSLC.
Considering how close Jen was to her castmates while this was all going on, it is entirely possible that they were exposed to parts of the telemarketing fraud scheme. The women were traveling and filming together, so the chances are high that at least one of them had an idea regarding what was going on. The women were around filming when Jen was arrested, and according to US Weekly, they seemed completely shocked by her arrest. They also resumed filming shortly after Jen was taken away in handcuffs.
Shah’s husband, Sharrieff Shah, who appeared on episodes of RHOSLC, was likely aware of the fraud scheme if Jen is guilty. They were recently spotted outside their home awaiting the upcoming trial, as reported by Page Six. Shah is currently free on a $1 million bond following her spring arrest. In addition to Jen’s husband, the Real Housewives filming crew was allowed into Jen’s office, which is likely where most of the scandal took place. It’s unclear what other cast members of RHOSLC may have been exposed to, but it is very likely some of them knew what was going on behind the scenes.
Given that Jen was known as the “villain” on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 1, it is easy for fans to dislike her even more now that she has been arrested for fraud. However, it is important to note that the trial has not happened yet, and everyone is innocent until proven guilty. One thing is certain though; fans will definitely be tuning in to season 2 to learn more about the case and what the other cast members experienced.