RHOSLC: Why Jen Shah deserved a longer sentence

RHOSLC star Jen Shah was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison on Jan. 6 for federal wire fraud. Jen was lucky that her sentence was not extended.

Jen Shah of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was finally sentenced to 78 months in prison for wire fraud on Jan. 6, but there are plenty of reasons why the disgraced housewife should have received a harsher sentence. Arrested by federal authorities in 2021 during the production of RHOSLC Season 2, Jen was a controversial housewife long before her criminal activities were discovered. With an affinity for conflict and a bad habit of losing her temper publicly, Jen feuded with several co-stars, such as Mary Cosby and Heather Gay, during the first two seasons of RHOSLC.

Although Jen returned to the show shortly after his arrest and enthusiastically proclaimed his innocence, RHOSLC's Jen pleaded guilty in July 2022 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in order to avoid trial and hopefully receive a reduced sentence. Jen was due to be sentenced in November 2022, but he asked for a sentence of just three years before the date was pushed back twice to January 6, while the US government asked Judge Sidney Stein to sentence Jen to 10 years. Despite the support of her husband Sharrieff "Coach" Shah and defense attorney Priya Chaudry, Judge Stein ultimately sentenced Jen Sentenced to 78 months, or 6.5 years, for her crimes; Judge Stein also ordered the RHOSLC star to pay restitution to her victims. While Jen will be locked up for the next few years, she's very lucky that she didn't receive a longer sentence than she deserved.

Jen Shah Ran Her Wire Fraud Scam For Nine Years

Although Jen joined the RHOSLC in 2020, her decision to step into the spotlight does not mean she will cease criminal activity. From 2012 until her arrest in March 2021, Jen and several co-conspirators including her friend, assistant and RHOSLC partner Stuart Smith deliberately targeted seniors through telemarketing scams offering products that did not exist. Over the course of their nine-year business career, Jen and others defrauded victims of millions of dollars, which were then used to fuel their lavish lifestyles. While the 6.5 year sentence is still longer than the 3 years Jen would have liked, it is fair that Jen gets at least 9 years in prison, which is the same length of time that the scam was carried out.

Jen Shah's Co-Conspirators Received Similar Sentences

Although Jen's counterfeit bags were confiscated and she was listed as the leader of the group since pleading guilty last summer, Jen's co-conspirators received equal or lesser prison terms sentence. Although Stewart, the first to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence, will be the last defendant to appear in court, Reality Blurb reported on Jan. 5 that Karl Morris and Christopher Wilson were also sentenced to 6.5 years in prison, while Ryan Moulter Five years in prison. Several others still have to be sentenced, but if Jen is really responsible for the operation, as the US government claims, she should have been jailed longer than her subordinates.

Jen Shah Received A Shorter Sentence Than The Chrisley's

While Teresa and Joe Giudice's time in prison won't be quickly forgotten by fans of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Jen isn't the only reality star preparing to turn herself in to authorities in 2023. Shortly before Jen's guilty plea, Todd and Julie Chrisley of Chrisley Knows Best, who were convicted of federal bank fraud and tax evasion, shared Jen's dedication to financing their affluent lifestyle. In November, Jolie was sentenced to seven years in prison, while her husband Todd was sentenced to 12 years. While it's difficult to determine based on the facts whether Jen or Chrisley committed the more serious crime, it's interesting to note that despite how many older victims Participating in Jen's scam and how much money they lost, Jen received a lighter sentence than both of them.

Jen Shah Only Showed Remorse When Her Guilt Became Clear

While Judge Stein considered several factors for Jane's sentencing, the biggest indication that Jane should have been sentenced to more than 6.5 years was that she showed zero remorse for her actions before she faced up to 40 years in prison or follow. Not only has Jen resumed her routine and continued to fight housewives like Meredith Marks and Lisa Barlow, but her RHOSLC Season 2 tagline even sarcastically declared, "The only thing I'm guilty of is making Shah-mazing!" Arguing with her attorney that attending Bravo wouldn't help her case, yet Jen not only chose to return for RHOSLC Season 3 and sell "Free Jen" merchandise amidst her legal dispute, but was not invited to BravoCon 2022 and RHOSLC Season 3 Season reunion. Although Jen didn't have a chance to stay a housewife on RHOSLC season 4 after her sentencing on Jan. 6, she could have avoided such a big media circus had she not gone the extra mile to prove her innocence during a year on national television.

More: Why Angie Katsanevas to join RHOSLC Season 4 full-time