Meredith Marks Finally Reacts To Jen Shah's Guilty Plea In Fraud Case
"Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah has been in the middle of some serious legal drama recently. She was accused of running a major telemarketing scheme, according to NBC News, and ended up pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July. The agreement included Shah having to pay $6.5 million, as well as up to nearly $10 million in restitution to the victims she stole from. According to the New York Post, Shah purposely targeted the elderly with her telemarketing scheme and tricked them into investing in questionable services or projects.
The U.S. attorney for the Southern district of New York, Damian Williams, said (via NBC News), "These victims were sold false promises of financial security, but instead Shah and her co-conspirators defrauded them out of their savings and left them with nothing to show for it."
After pleading guilty, Shah revealed she would not appeal the verdict if her prison sentence was "168 months or fewer," per People. The charges she pleaded guilty to hold a maximum sentence of 30 years. Shah previously claimed she was innocent and not involved in the scheme in September 2021, but ultimately admitted to being involved and pled guilty. She's now set to be sentenced on November 28, but people are already talking about what the future might hold for her. "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Meredith Marks is even breaking her silence on Shah's guilty plea.
Meredith Marks was surprised by Jen Shah's guilty plea
"Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Meredith Marks is finally opening up about how she feels about Jen Shah recently pleading guilty to wire fraud. During an appearance on the "#NoFilter" podcast, Marks revealed that she was surprised by Shah's fraud case as well as her guilty plea. She explained, "I don't think anyone was expecting that." Marks, who has a background in law, even revealed that it was "risky" for Shah to continue filming "RHOSLC" amid her legal drama because "it is so easy to say something that could be spun to incriminate you."
She shared that she isn't as close with Shah as she once used to be following her legal trouble. Marks explained, "We've texted a little, but I have not had any conversations with her. I've been out of the country and she's now been getting her oldest son settled at medical school and so I have not actually talked to her."
At one point, Marks was accused of reporting Shah to the FBI for scamming the elderly on "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" by the other housewives, which caused Shah to become verbally aggressive toward her. Marks eventually denied the claim and even told Page Six that she was offended by the accusation. Now, that drama all seems petty as Shah is most likely focusing on her sentencing. And while there doesn't seem to be any bad blood between Marks and Shah now, they're definitely not close either.