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Jen Shah è diventata famosa per aver recitato in “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” di Bravo, ma si è rapidamente trasformata da star della realtà in mente di piani di telemarketing. Nel 2021, la polizia ha arrestato Shah e il suo assistente, Stuart Smith, per aver truffato centinaia di persone senza soldi. “Jennifer Shah, che si ritrae come un uomo d’affari ricco e di successo nella televisione ‘reality’, e Stuart Smith, che è ritratto come il ‘primo assistente’ di Shah, presumibilmente hanno generato e venduto ‘elenchi principali’ di individui innocenti per altri membri del loro piano per truffare ripetutamente”, si legge in un comunicato stampa del Dipartimento di Giustizia degli Stati Uniti. I fan hanno anche visto parte del dramma recitare davanti alla telecamera nel reality show.
Shah initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but changed her tune in July 2022. NBC News reported that the reality star pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. At the time, she told the court that she “knew it was wrong” and was “so sorry” for her part. In January 2023, Shah learned her fate when a judge sentenced her to six and a half years in prison. Shah’s lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, released a statement following the sentencing (via People), expressing remorse on Shah’s behalf. “Jen will pay her debt to society, and when she is a free woman again, she vows to pay her debt to the victims harmed by her mistakes,” Chaudhry said.
Now, her victims are revealing the impact that Shah’s actions have had on them.
Jen Shah’s victims say they are still struggling
“I’m telling the world I was stupid enough to get caught in a scam, and I’m not stupid person.”
Victims of “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah’s telemarketing scheme speak out. @eriellereshef has more. pic.twitter.com/wj7PB7JUMW
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 19, 2023
As Jen Shah prepares to head to prison, some of the people affected by the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star’s scam are speaking out against the disgraced star. Two victims spoke with “Good Morning America” to shed some light on how Shah took advantage of them. 75-year-old Tricia (who declined to share her last name) told the news outlet that she gave Shah $47,000 in exchange for Shah’s company helping start her own business. Only that never happened. “I’m telling the world I was stupid enough to get caught in a scam, and I’m not a stupid person,” the woman confessed. “Do I want to tell the world that? No, I really don’t. But I don’t want other people to have to go through that shame that I went through.”
Tricia added that she thought the scheme seemed “legitimate,” and was “shell shocked” to discover the truth. She also admitted that she just came out of a deep depression behind the scam and lost the money she needs to care for herself. Another woman, Molly McLaughlin, revealed that Shah also scammed her. “I probably spent about $44,000 on six credit cards … all, of course, went into bankruptcy, because, of course, I couldn’t afford to pay that,” she confessed.
According to Vox, Shah is scheduled to head to prison on February 17, where she will serve six and a half years.
