‘Real Housewives’ Star Jen Shah Arrested, Charged With Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Money Laundering

Jen Shah, a cast member on Bravo‘s The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on fraud charges, according to NBC. Shah is facing multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, both reportedly in connection to a fraudulent telemarketing scheme.

Shah was arrested and charged today along with her assistant, Stuart Smith, who has also appeared on the reality series. In a statement released today by the Justice Department, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Shah and Smith “targeted and defrauded” hundreds of victims in their scheme, which lasted nearly 10 years, from 2012 to 2021.

The indictment alleges that Shah and Smith targeted victims mostly ages 55 and above and sold them “so-called ‘business services’ in connection to the victims’ purported online businesses.” Prosecutors argue that Shah and her assistant carried out a complex operation in which they created lists of possible victims and sold those lists to telemarketing companies, who in turn would contact the victim to sell them “business services.”

“Jennifer Shah, who portrays herself as a wealthy and successful businessperson on ‘reality’ television, and Stuart Smith, who is portrayed as Shah’s ‘first assistant,’ allegedly generated and sold ‘lead lists’ of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam.  In actual reality and as alleged, the so-called business opportunities pushed on the victims by Shah, Smith, and their co-conspirators were just fraudulent schemes, motivated by greed, to steal victims’ money,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement released today.

Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh added, “Shah and Smith flaunted their lavish lifestyle to the public as a symbol of their ‘success.’  In reality, they allegedly built their opulent lifestyle at the expense of vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people. As alleged, disturbingly, Shah and Smith objectified their very real human victims as ‘leads’ to be bought and sold, offering their personal information for sale to other members of their fraud ring.”

Both Shah and Smith each face one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the telemarketing scheme, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years. They also each face one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Where to watch The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City