“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah was reportedly released Wednesday after serving just under three years in prison for fraud.
Shah, 52, was released from a federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, on December 10, People and NBC reported. The reality star has been behind bars since February 2023 after pleading guilty to participating in a long-running nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme. She was originally sentenced to more than six years in prison, but her sentence was later reduced.
USA TODAY has reached out to the prison and Shah’s representatives for comment.
Shah’s latest release date was first confirmed to People by her manager, Chris Giovanni, in November.
“Everyone is very grateful for the[Federal Bureau of Prisons’]decision, especially because it means Jen will be able to reunite with her family over the holidays,” he told the magazine. “That’s a gift she doesn’t take for granted.”
Shah, who starred in Bravo’s Utah spinoff from 2020 to 2023, pleaded guilty in July 2022 to defrauding people in a nationwide telemarketing scheme. She entered a plea agreement with prosecutors that included a recommended prison term ranging from 11 to 14 years, and then entered a plea to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Shah told the judge that he participated in a telemarketing scam that spanned nearly 10 years, starting in 2012, and that prosecutors said defrauded thousands of people, including people over the age of 55. He said he knew he was working with others to sell products of “little or no value.”
“I knew this was a mistake and it hurt a lot of people. I am truly sorry,” Shah told Judge Sidney H. Stein at the time. After serving his time in prison, Shah will also have to pay $6.5 million in restitution and forfeiture.
Shah, who has been released from custody, is in a “really positive and hopeful state mentally,” her manager told People magazine in a statement on November 21.
“She did a lot of reflection and real growth over the holidays. She’s really not the same woman she was before,” Giovanni continued. “She is focused on her family and building a healthier, more grounded life.
“She understands the gravity of the mistakes she made and is excited to put this chapter behind her and show everyone the woman she has worked so hard to become.”
