Jen Shah is an OG cast member on the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and an entrepreneur.
The Hawaiian and Tongan native has been in the news lately. She said many times that she is in the fight of her life, as charges were brought against her last year.
She was accused of running a nationwide telemarketing scheme, targeting senior citizens.
Shah maintained her innocence all season long. But, in a dramatic plot twist, she changed her plea to guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Since then, a lot of things from her past have been resurfacing. Amongst them, is a tweet from September 2020.
It started with a fan posting a picture of a furious Jen Shah, about to stand up while three of her other co-stars are looking at her. The fan captioned the post, “Jen about to LAUNCH a glass across the table.”
Jen commented on the post, “Teresa walked so I could run” followed by a laughing emoji.
Jen Shah said Teresa walked so she could run
Her 2020 comment did not age well at all, as Teresa Giudice was indicted on fraud charges. She and her then-husband Joe Giudice were convicted in 2014.
The RHONJ star was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Teresa served 11 months and came home just in time for Christmas 2015.
Jen Shah changed her plea to a guilty one on July 11. According to NBC News, she is now facing a sentence of up to 14 years in prison. She also agreed to forfeit $6.5 million and to pay restitution up to $9.5 million.
Just like Teresa, Jen Shah has often flaunted her wealth on the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
Cameras were rolling when the FBI showed up to arrest her. The ladies were all on a bus getting ready to go on a road trip. However, Shah had quickly left the bus minutes before, telling her RHOSLC co-stars that she had a medical emergency.
Shah has said she is embarrassed and sorry to have put her family in this position. She cried multiple times to her husband, coach Shah, on the show and said she is terrified of missing her children growing up.
Her husband has stood by her and said he never questioned where all the money was coming from. And most of her fans are still standing by her.
During a radio show, Andy Cohen said he didn’t know how to feel about the guilty plea. He argued, “When you say you’re guilty of something, it maybe means you’re guilty.”
A caller compared Jen Shah’s situation to that of Teresa Giudice and said, “We’ve been supporting Teresa for years”, insinuating that many fans will stand by her.
However, the radio co-hosts Andy Cohen and John Hill pointed out that their situations are different. Andy said viewers are usually more outraged when there are victims involved. He cited Tom and Erika Girardi as an example. Teresa Giudice evaded paying taxes. The crimes are very different.
Bravo has yet to announce RHOSLC’s renewal. Andy, however, confirmed that filming began in the spring of this year.
Jen Shah has continued to film after her guilty plea, so fans will get to follow her legal journey.
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is expected to return in Fall 2022 on Bravo.