'Real Housewives' Star Jen Shah Sentenced To 6.5 Years In NYC

NEW YORK CITY — "Real Housewives" star Jen Shah's new role will be 6.5 years as a federal prisoner and convicted fraudster, according to New York prosecutors.

A judge handed down Shah's sentence Friday in a packed federal courtroom, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams confirmed Friday.

“With today’s sentence, Jennifer Shah finally faces the consequences of the many years she spent targeting vulnerable, elderly victims," Williams said.

"These individuals were lured in by false promises of financial security, but in reality, Shah and her co-conspirators defrauded them out of their savings and left them with nothing to show for it."

Shah previously admitted she ran a telemarketing scheme that preyed upon the elderly. During her sentencing, she reportedly blamed her actions on longstanding, untreated mental health issues.

"I am sorry," Shah told the judge, according to an Inner City Press report. "My actions have hurt innocent people."

Shah rose to fame in "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City," which premiered in 2020.

But prosecutors said Shah's turn as a reality star was preceded by, and overlapped, a darker career. She and others from 2012 to March 2021 ran a telemarketing scheme that defrauded hundreds of people out of tens of millions of dollars by selling them so-called "business services" for their online businesses, prosecutors said.

Despite Shah's later proclamations of remorse, prosecutors argued she denigrated the victims and should be sentenced to 10 years.

"[Shah] tried to profit off the charges by selling 'Justice for Jen' merchandise," a Dec. 23 court filing reads. " Her belated expressions of remorse ring hollow."

The judge ultimately opted for a shorter sentence, along with a forfeiture of $6.5 million, federal prosecutors said. She'll surrender to prison on Feb. 17.