- Jen Shah's legal team requested a reduced prison sentence in a memorandum filed on December 16.
- Shah's legal team pled guilty in July 2022 after she was arrested in March 2021.
"Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah requested her prison sentence be reduced to three years after pleading guilty to her part in a telemarketing scheme.
Court documents obtained by Insider show that Shah's legal team argued that 36 months in prison would be "just and fair." Authorities arrested Shah while filming in March 2021, charging her with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Federal prosecutors accused Shah of participating in a telemarketing fraud scheme for nine years, prompting her to eventually plead guilty to wire fraud in July 2022.
Shah's plea deal had a sentencing range of 11 to 14 years under advisory guidelines, while the US Probation Department suggested an 8-year sentence.
Shah's legal team listed several reasons why she should receive a 36-month sentence, including that other defendants who received more than 36 months "can all be distinguished clearly from Ms. Shah."
"Many had direct contact with the victims of the fraud— whether as the salespeople using fake names or as managers or owners of sales floors whose job it was to convince the client not to chargeback their worthless product," court documents read. "Ms. Shah, notably, never spoke with any of the customers of MPG (or anyone who actually purchased these products)."
The document continued that unlike other defendants, Shah doesn't have a prior criminal history and disputed the extent of her role in the scheme.
"While it is true that Ms. Shah provided the "leads" to many of the people involved in this crime, she certainly did not create, organize, control, or run this multi-pronged/multi-state conspiracy," the document read.
According to the document, there was "neither reason nor evidence" to consider Shah the "Godfather" or "Kingpin" of the scheme.
"Many of these co-defendants neither received their leads from Ms. Shah, had any contact with her, nor even knew her," the document continued.
Shah's legal team also pointed towards her husband and two sons as reasons for a reduced prison sentence.
"In addition, this case has already cost Jen dearly. Jen—who desperately wanted to be the best mother in the world—has now been the cause of embarrassment, fear, and shame for her beloved sons," the document read. "Jen would never do anything to risk more harm to her children. She knows the emotional and psychological toll that her sons have already been forced to pay. These are harms for which she will spend the rest of her life atoning."
Other reasons included avoiding COVID-19 spread, Shah's low likelihood to re-offend, and her celebrity status could benefit society.
Shah is expected to be sentenced on January 6, 2023.