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It appears more details will be released about “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah’s alleged telemarketing scheme that federal prosecutors say took advantage of hundreds of “vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people.”
At a pre-trial hearing Tuesday in New York, federal prosecutors filed a motion asking a judge to allow evidence to be admitted for trial that the government says peels back the lavish curtain on how Shah, 48, spent alleged fraud money she allegedly stole from unsuspecting victims – many of whom are senior citizens – hid the funds, paid for an alleged fraud scheme and failed to declare the income to the Internal Revenue Service.
According to the legal filing, Shah was essentially low on cash and allegedly perpetuated the years-long scheme to fund her extravagant lifestyle.
The Bravo personality faces multiple counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Bravo personality Jen Shah faces a maximum of 50 years in prison if convicted on all charges stemming from an alleged telemarketing fraud scheme.
(Chad Kirkland/Bravo)
“The government intends to show such control by establishing that the defendant, among other things, engaged in transactions using the fraud proceeds and spent and directed others to spend criminal proceeds on expenses related to the telemarketing fraud scheme and her own personal expenses,” the evidence motion obtained by Fox News Digital states.
“The government intends to offer evidence in the form of financial records, summary charts and limited testimony regarding those records, charts, as well as testimony by percipient witnesses with knowledge of the defendant’s disposition of the criminal proceeds,” it adds.
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“The method and manner in which the criminal proceeds were directed, transferred and spent by the defendant and her co-conspirators is admissible as direct evidence of the defendant’s participation in the telemarketing fraud scheme and the money laundering conspiracy and evidence of the defendant’s motive and intent to commit the charged crimes.”
The New York Police Department said in a statement in March 2021 at the time of Shah’s arrest that the number of victims Shah and her “first assistant” Stuart Smith had allegedly duped stood in the “hundreds” and noted that the alleged fraud had gone on for nearly a decade, starting in 2012.
Federal prosecutors allege “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah took advantage of hundreds of “vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people” in a brazen telemarketing scheme.
(Gabe Ginsberg/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
“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,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss alleged in a statement at the time of Shah’s arrest.
Meanwhile, in the government’s motion filed Tuesday, prosecutors told the court they anticipate the evidence – if allowed to be presented to a jury at trial – “will show that, for at least certain periods of time during her charged conduct, the defendant was spending far more than she could afford absent the income from the telemarketing fraud scheme.”
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The government implies it has ironclad evidence to support allegations Shah wasn’t running a legitimate business and that the lifestyle she perpetuated on reality television pales in comparison to the one she was actually living behind the scenes.
“The government intends for the evidence of the defendant’s financial difficulties and cash flow for the relevant time periods to be presented through documentary evidence and testimony, including, among other things, the defendant and her husband’s income as reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), her account balances as reflected on bank account statements, her and her telemarketing company’s credit and debit card statements, summary witness testimony regarding certain of the aforementioned records and percipient witness testimony regarding the defendant’s income, need for money and spending habits,” court papers state.
According to her Bravo bio, Jen Shah “is the queen of her house and her businesses as the CEO of three marketing companies.”
(Heidi Gutman/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
It adds that prosecutors seek “to admit evidence establishing that, for the time period relevant to the charged conduct, the defendant failed to disclose income from the telemarketing fraud scheme to the IRS.”
According to her Bravo bio, Shah “is the queen of her house and her businesses as the CEO of three marketing companies.”
During the “Housewives” reunion, Bravo bigwig Andy Cohen asked Shah about her businesses.
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“My background is in direct response marketing for about 20 years, so our company does advertising,” she said at the time. “We have a platform that helps people acquire customers, so when you’re shopping online or on the internet and something pops, we have the algorithm behind why you’re getting served that ad.
“I need a lot of help, you know? They all do different things,” Shah explained.
Shah’s trial is scheduled to start March 22. Stuart Smith pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
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Shaw faces a maximum of 50 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
An attorney for Shah did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
