Jen Shah Changes Plea to Guilty in Major Fraud Case; Faces Years in Prison and Must Pay Victims Millions

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah is singing an entirely different tune than the one she’s been singing for over a year in her fraud case. Shah has changed her plea to guilty after maintaining her innocence just ahead of the scheduled trial. Her guilty plea comes months after her longtime assistant Stuart Smith plead guilty to the alleged Ponzi scheme. They were initially indicted for their alleged role in a long-running telemarketing scheme charge.

In a statement from Page Six, Shah’s attorney expressed why the reality star changed her plea at the final moment. “Jen pled guilty because she wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family,” Priya Chaudhry told Page Six. “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. Ms. Shah is also sorry for disappointing her husband, children, family, friends, and supporters.” Shah told the judge that she knew her victims were 55 and older and what she engaged in was “wrong and illegal.”