Jen Shah Still Filming ‘RHOSLC’ Despite Guilty Plea: Producers Want To Tell ‘Her Story’
Jen Shah will still be featured on ‘RHOSLC’ following her guilty plea to wire fraud charges related to a telemarketing scheme that defrauded hundreds of people.
Despite Jen Shah of The Real House of Salt Lake City pleading guilty to wire fraud charges in a telemarketing scheme she was arrested for in 2021, the Bravo cameras will keep rolling for her. “She’s had Meredith [Marks] and Heather [Gay] by her side, who have been very supportive of their friend during a difficult time. Obviously her legal troubles have not been easy for Jen, let alone making this decision to plead not guilty,” a source told People regarding the 48-year-old reality star’s situation. The insider added that her arrest, which was documented on Season 2 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, is “a very big part” of her story and “producers don’t want us to stop following it now.”
Jen changed her not guilty plea to guilty on July 11, which will potentially save her 16 years in prison. The reported deal will force her to return $9 million to the hundreds of victims she defrauded plus an additional $6 million. Jen is facing up to 14 years behind bars, as she said she would accept her punishment as long as it is 168 months or less of prison time. By pleading guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Jen no longer faces the charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Although it may raise some eyebrows that Bravo wants to continue filming someone who pleaded guilty to a felony, it’s not unchartered territory for them. When Teresa Giudice and Joe Giudice from The Real Housewives of New Jersey were arrested in 2013 with a 39-count indictment, Bravo documented the ensuing drama as much as they could. Teresa and Joe each ended up serving more than a year in jail, and Joe was deported from America once he was released from prison.
![This is the booking photo of the voice of Disney’s Pocahontas, Irene Bedard, after she was arrested for disorderly conduct. The 55-year-old - best known for voicing the famous character in the 1995 animated movie - had to be separated from another woman by police in Greene County, Ohio, on August 19 after the pair were arguing and screaming. According to a police report, the women “walked out into the street screaming, without any regard for traffic”. Bedard had “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath”, but insisted she had not been drinking that day. She told police she had drunk a bottle of vodka the day before. Bedard said the other woman, Sheila Johnson, had been trying to help her into her “studio”, but she was unable to find her keys. According to the police report, Beard’s “emotions changed rapidly”, going from calm to becoming upset and eventually crying. Police tried to move Bedard away from a large window as they feared she might shatter the glass, but when Johnson offered them a name to call on Bedard’s behalf the actress ran away screaming. She was booked for disorderly conduct and released on August 21. Bedard was arrested twice over a three-day period back in November 2020. *BYLINE: Greene County Sheriff’s Office/Pop Nation/TMX/Mega. 19 Aug 2022 Pictured: The booking photo of the voice of Disney’s Pocahontas, Irene Bedard, after she was arrested for disorderly conduct. *BYLINE: Greene County Sheriff’s Office/Pop Nation/TMX/Mega. Photo credit: GreeneCountySheriff/PopNationTMX / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA889083_001.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://preprod.hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Celebrities-Arrested-In-2022-1.jpg?quality=100&w=192)
![Tiger King star Doc Antle, real name Bhagavan Antle, has been arrested on alleged money laundering charges. The 62-year-old was booked in Horry County, in South Carolina on Friday (June 3) and is set to appear in court next week. Court documents show the arresting agency was the FBI. He is pictured here in his mugshot / booking photo. 04 Jun 2022 Pictured: Doc Antle / Bhagavan Antle mugshot booking photo. Photo credit: Horry County Sheriff/MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA864896_001.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://preprod.hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Doc-Antle-arrested-2022.jpg?quality=100&w=192)
Jen joined RHOSLC in Nov. 2020 and was arrested just a few months later in March 2021 with her former assistant, Stuart Smith. They both pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering at first. Stuart flipped his decision in Nov. 2021 and was sentenced to 72 months in jail plus an additional five years of supervised release.
“Ms. Shah is a good woman who crossed a line. She accepts full responsibility for her actions and deeply apologizes to all who have been harmed,” Jen’s attorney, Priya Chaudhry, told People. HollywoodLife reached out to Jen’s representatives but did not immediately hear back.