The RHOSLC Costar Who Says She Knew About Jen Shah's Fraud Scheme
From the moment Jen Shah was arrested for fraud in 2021, there have been questions surrounding whether any stars of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" were involved in her getting caught. More than two years later, we learned that someone linked to the cast was indeed a part of the case against her — but she wasn't a snowflake holder at the time. We'll stop [reality von] teasing: it was Monica Garcia.
First introduced as a cast member in Season 4, Garcia had previously helped out as an unofficial assistant to Shah. Because of that, she already knew some of the ladies — and in one episode, she shared that it meant she knew a lot about them. "All their dark secrets are very heavy on my mind," she shared in a confessional (via Bravo). One of the more scandalous things she knew was that Shah was implicated in some seriously dodgy dealings. As she revealed in an episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," she'd learned of Shah's fraud scheme from the woman herself. "She told me how her scheme works, and she asked me to be a part of it," Garcia recounted.
Far from being one to keep the information to herself, Garcia got authorities involved immediately — though she's maintained she wasn't the first whistleblower to do so. And just in case you were wondering, no, she doesn't regret it one bit.
Monica is glad she told a friend in the Secret Service
As reported by Us Weekly, Monica Garcia revealed on "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" that Jen Shah had offered to include her in her fraud scheme as a way to earn some extra cash. However, Garcia was alarmed by Shah's revelations from the start, and because she was friends with someone in the Secret Service, she brought it up with him. During that conversation, Garcia learned that the authorities had already been on to Shah for some time. Nevertheless, she became a witness in Shah's fraud trial (though as she pointed out on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," the trial never ended up taking place).
As for her relationship with Shah, since speaking to the authorities, Garcia explained to Cohen that she'd been required to cut communication because of her witness role — not that she cared if that meant the Shah squad was mad about it. In response to a question from fellow "WWHL" guest Heather McMahon, Garcia shared that she wasn't bothered if anyone was upset, or thought she was a snitch. "Everyone calls me a rat, and whatever, but ... squeak, squeak," she joked.
Part of the reason why she wasn't especially concerned is that, on top of reporting it being the moral response to what she'd learned, she was also one of many people to have come forward with what they knew. "I didn't start this case," she maintained.
Fraud isn't the only thing Monica has exposed
And now, a moment for the elephant in the room. As anyone tuned in to the Bravoverse will know, Jen Shah's fraud case wasn't the only exposé Monica Garcia has been involved in. The Season 4 finale of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" saw the cast learn that Garcia was also involved in running the Instagram account Reality von (Tea)se. Yup — the very same one that began leaking controversial clips of Jen Shah back in 2021.
Though Garcia copped to being one of the contributors to the account, she's repeatedly asserted that she wasn't alone. And while the account did, at some point, begin sharing information that hurt the rest of the cast — like reposts of Shah's DMs insulting Heather Gay, for example — Garcia has said that wasn't the reason the account was created. "Our mission was to take down Jen. The other women were just collateral damage," she said in a confessional (via E! News).
As for her stance on her co-stars' reaction to the situation, it's much along the lines of her thoughts on alerting the Secret Service to Shah's fraud scheme in the first place. That is, she's unfazed. Speaking to Us Weekly, she quipped, "I think if they can get through what they did with Jen Shah, I should be easy to forgive." Whether she's speaking to the authorities or exposing Shah's behavior publicly, it's safe to say Garcia is sticking to her guns.