Real Housewives star Jen Shah arrives in court for sentencing

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah grabbed the arm of her bodyguard as she arrived at court in New York this morning to be sentenced for wire fraud.

The reality T star pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in July in a dramatic U-turn defense.

She had been charged with multiple counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with what prosecutors described as a nationwide telemarketing scheme.

Shah and his colleagues are accused of fraudulently matching and then selling “lead lists” to companies. A person on that list would be lured into an endless payment or subscription service that she couldn’t, or wouldn’t know how to, get out of.

Federal prosecutors are seeking a 10-year prison term for the 49-year-old Shah.

Shah, one of the most bombastic characters in his Bravo reality series franchise, denied any wrongdoing for months.

He upended his guilty plea in July following the guilty plea of ​​his former assistant, Stuart Smith.

As part of the case, Shah lost dozens of genuine and counterfeit designer handbags and counterfeit jewelry.

There were dozens of fake Chanel and Hermes bags on the list.

Shah, who is married with two children, proudly portrayed herself as a spendthrift on Bravo.

He bragged about spending $80,000 on a friend’s birthday party and often referred to his ‘Shah squad’.

Her husband, Sharrieff Shah, is the football coach at the University of Washington.

He was not with the Shah when he entered the court today.

In their sentencing motion to the court, prosecutors gave a searing description of Shah’s crimes.

‘For nearly a decade, the defendant was an integral leader of a far-reaching, nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that victimized thousands of innocent people. Many of those people were elderly or vulnerable.

“Many of those people suffered significant financial hardship and damage.

‘At the direction of the defendant, the victims were scammed over and over again until they had nothing left.

“She and her co-conspirators persisted in their conduct until the victims’ bank accounts were empty, their credit cards were maxed out, and there was nothing else to take.

‘Despite the defendant’s best efforts, she was caught. She then went on a public offensive and tried to cash in on the charges by selling “Justice for Jen” merchandise. She pleaded guilty at the last minute, only after receiving trial evidence from the government and witness statements.

“In light of his conduct and post-arrest demeanor, his belated expressions of remorse ring hollow,” US Attorney Damian Williams wrote.

They criticized Shah for not only publicly claiming that he was innocent, but also for ‘mocking’ the case with comments like ‘the only thing I’m guilty of is being Shah-mazing’.