Jen Shah was in the middle of shooting 'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' when she was arrested, report says

• The cast were going on a trip when Jen Shah left, saying there was an emergency with her husband.
• Shah was then then found by law enforcements and arrested.
• Variety reported that camera were rolling at the time of arrest.

According to a report from Variety, Jen Shah was actually filming "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" when she was arrested on Tuesday.

A source confirmed to Variety the anonymous tip given to Instagram page @twojudgeygirls that the cast of "Housewives" were filming and preparing for a trip to Colorado as part of the show when Shah said there was an emergency with her husband and suddenly left.

Federal law enforcement then arrived at the production looking for Shah. They soon found her and placed her under arrest. Variety reported that the cameras were still rolling while this took place, although it is unclear if law enforcement forced the show to stop filming.

Andy Cohen, executive producer of the Bravo show, which premiered last year, told Variety that filming has started on the second season. This could mean that Shah's arrest could have been captured on camera and might be seen in the show.

Shah has been part of the show since it premiered and is described by Bravo as "the queen of her house and her businesses as the CEO of three marketing companies."

Later on Tuesday, Shah was charged by the Justice Department with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in relation to telemarketing and conspiracy to commit money laundering. She was arrested and charged along with her alleged co-conspirator Stuart Smith, who also appears on "Housewives" as one of her many assistants.

Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said: "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."

The alleged scheme is said to have taken place for just under a decade - from 2012 to March 2021. Prosecutors allege that Shah and her co-conspirators defrauded "hundreds" of people during this time.

"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," Strauss said.

According to the Southern District press release, Shah could face up to 30 years in prison if she is convicted of these charges.