Jen Shah Receives 78-Month Prison Sentence, Followed By 5 Years of Supervised Release and Mental Health Treatment

On January 6th, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July of last year. The 49-year-old mother of 2 is expected to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on February 17th – just one month from today. 

Following her release, which will be sometime in 2029 (barring any changes), Shah will be ordered to undergo mental health treatment while she completes five years of supervised release. This comes after Shah detailed her struggle with mental health in the aftermath of her being charged in March of 2021.

Not only that but Jen Shah is being ordered to ‘continue to take any prescribed medications unless otherwise instructed by the health care provider’ and ‘contribute to the cost of services rendered based on your ability to pay and the availability of third-party payments’ – per a court judgment filed last week.  

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Jen Shah, who has been married to American football coach Sharrieff Shah since 1994, rose to fame when she was given a lead role in Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. She was a part of the original cast in 2020 and has been featured in each of the show’s first three seasons – with Season 3 being her last. 

She was arrested – along with one of her personal assistants, Stuart Smith – in March 2021 during the second season of the show. The two were being charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for their role in what was described as a ‘nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme.’ 

Jen Shah originally pleaded not guilty to the charges just days after her arrest. After a documentary was made about her arrest – titled The Housewife & the Shah Shocker – Shah changed her stance and pleaded guilty to the wire fraud charge – forfeiting $6.5 million and paying restitution up to $9.5 million.

The reality TV star will now spend the next 6+ years in prison and an extra five years of supervised release for her crimes. It comes after fellow reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley were sentenced to a combined 19 years for similar fraud charges – both of whom will also undergo a supervised release. 

Jen Shah Opened Up About Her Struggle With Mental Health

Since joining the cast of RHOSLC, Jen Shah has been open about her past and present struggle with mental health. For example, she revealed in Season One of the reality TV show that she began taking antidepressants due to the anxiety and depression she experienced after her father passed away. 

In Season Two, she detailed a rough six-month patch in her life that nearly led to a divorce with her husband – so much so that she received a notice from a divorce attorney. She cited her father’s death and her husband’s constant work schedule as the primary reasons for her marriage nearly ending. 

In Season Three, she spoke about her most recent battle with mental health in the wake of her arrest and subsequent criminal charges that were filed against her. Her mental health got so bad she locked herself in a bathroom and attempted suicide before her husband broke down the door and took her to a hospital.

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During her criminal trial, Jen Shah even pleaded for leniency in her sentence due to the death of her father and grandmother, among other painful personal experiences in her life recently. She was facing up to 14 years of prison time but was sentenced to just over six years. Her sentence begins next month.