'RHOSLC': Jen Shah Reveals Biggest Fear Ahead of Fraud Trial
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah is preparing for the fight of her life. After several delays, her fraud trial is set to begin in Utah on July 18. Shah, who became a standout on the hit Bravo franchise due to her spice and flashy lifestyle, was indicted for her alleged role in a long-running telemarketing scheme, along with her former assistant. While she's pleaded not guilty, her former assistant Stuart Smith initially plead the same before accepting a guilty plea, leaving Shah alone. Everything unfolded as Shah and her co-stars filmed season 2 of the show. She now faces up to 50 years in prison. As she counts down the days to learning her fate, the reality star's fears are not what many would assume under such circumstances.
"We're fighters, we give everything out all, and the most important thing to me is my family, and I'm going into this with the mindset of 'I'm fighting for my family. You can't stop me,'" she said during an exclusive sit-down interview with Up and Adam. "So I'm not afraid, because I can't be afraid going into this." In terms of the verdict she hopes for, Shah wants to prove her innocence. "The outcome that I'm hoping for and that I'm looking forward to at trial is the truth finally coming out," she said firmly.
Cameras were there to capture Shah's arrest. She was apprehended by NYPD detectives, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who reportedly worked together for several years to build their case against Shah.
Viewers questioned Shah's opulent lifestyle, which included multiple paid assistants, a mansion, all designer clothing, and expensive parties. Shah claimed that she owned three different companies which focused on direct response marketing. But the charges allege that Shah and Smith used data to push business marketing expansion opportunities on victims and pocketed the funds to furnish their lives, per Us Weekly.
She simply wants people to see beyond an image that's been depicted on screen, telling Up and Adam: "I'm hoping that the viewers take away from our conversation today si that there is more to Jen Shah than what they see, the caricature, on the TV show. I'm a mother, I'm a wife, I'm a sister, an aunt, a godmother – I'm so many more things than what their perception is of me, and I'm hoping that's what people take away after seeing our discussion today."