RHOSLC star Jen Shah says she ‘didn’t think I’d make it to the day’ when she reported to jail
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah has revealed that she “didn’t think I’d make it to the day” as she began her six-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
Her husband Sharrieff “Coach” Shah read the correspondence she sent from behind bars, telling how she had a panic attack on her way to Bryan Federal Prison Camp, Texas.
“I couldn’t breathe and my hands went numb,” she wrote. “I knew I was having an anxiety attack.”
Shah, one of the most bombastic characters on the Bravo show, was imprisoned last month after finally admitting to a years-long telemarketing scam that preyed on the elderly and the vulnerable.
Shah, left, was sentenced to more than six years in prison for a years-long telemarketing scam that preyed on the elderly and the vulnerable. She is pictured leaving the Manhattan Federal Court following her conviction
Jen’s husband Sharrieff ‘Coach’ Shah, who manages her Instagram accounts while in prison, shared her first diary entry from behind bars
Writing about her time in prison, the TV personality said she became overwhelmed with emotion two miles outside the Texas federal prison.
“I pulled over Coach because we had bad reception while driving and I couldn’t Facetim my oldest baby,” she continued.
“We finally connected, I saw his face and I cried so hard he assured me it would be okay.
“I didn’t think I’d make it today. It felt surreal as we drove up to Bryan FPC just minutes before we had to surrender.
“My greatest fear and the unimaginable was about to happen – having to say goodbye to my dear husband and precious baby Omar (he will always be my baby even though he is a senior in HS).”
Her surrender to prison on February 17 came after she pleaded guilty to fraud last year – despite previously protesting her innocence both on air and on social media for months.
She was sentenced to more than six years in prison after admitting to orchestrating a telemarketing scheme targeting the susceptible elderly and vulnerable.
Shah tricked her victims into buying bogus business mentoring, before landing them in relentless subscription payments they couldn’t get out of.
During her sentencing hearing, prosecutors recounted how she laughed heartlessly with colleagues when some of the victims called them in tears, begging for debt forgiveness.
But after being jailed for the scam, Shah took to Instagram two weeks ago to apologize for her crime.
“I surrender to serve a sentence in federal prison today,” she wrote.
It’s the price I have to pay for the bad decisions I’ve made. People got hurt by my decisions.
“While in prison, I will work to make amends and reconcile with the victims of my crime.
“I pray that over time people will judge me by the way I responded to this sentence, rather than just the decisions that led me to prison.”
Last month, Shah also took to Instagram to share her final thoughts before surrendering to prison
The reality TV star said she wanted to be held “accountable” while serving her sentence for fraud
Shah asked to be sent to FPC Bryan, a minimum security camp in Bryan, Texas
The 49-year-old is one of the most bombastic characters in The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Jen, center, said she broke down on the way to jail until she could Facetime her sons
While she was on trial, prosecutors rejected her pleas for leniency, arguing that she was charged with committing a cold-hearted fraud that swindled money from the defenseless.
“For nearly a decade, the defendant was an integral leader of a widespread nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that victimized thousands of innocent people. Many of those people were elderly or frail,” wrote U.S. attorney Damian Williams.
“Many of those people suffered significant financial hardship and damage.
“At the direction of the defendant, victims were scammed again and again until they had nothing left.
She and her co-conspirators persisted in their behavior until the victims’ bank accounts were empty, their credit cards were gone, and there was nothing left to collect.
“Despite the defendant’s best efforts, she was caught.
She then went on a public offensive, trying to capitalize on the charges by selling “Justice for Jen” merchandise. She pleaded guilty at the 11th hour, only after receiving the government’s court documents and testimony.
“In light of her behavior and post-arrest behavior, her belated expressions of regret ring hollow.”
Speaking to her 234,000 Instagram followers, Sharrieff said it had taken “so long” for her to reconnect with her fans because federal prisons review every piece of correspondence before they are allowed to be released.
FPC Bryan, where she was supposed to go, is a minimum security women’s prison about 100 miles from Houston, Texas.
“I also want you to understand that it took my wife some time to actually put pen to paper,” he added.
“She had a really hard time capturing much of her experience at first.”
Police confiscated dozens of counterfeit bags and jewelry from Shah’s house after her arrest
When she first entered prison on Feb. 17, her lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, told DailyMail.com that she was “determined to serve her sentence with courage and determination.”
Jen Shah’s determination to heal her victims and turn her life around is unyielding.
“She is determined to serve her sentence with courage and determination, fueled by her desire to make amends for the pain she has caused and to help others in her new community.
No obstacle will stop Jen from making the most of her time in prison and she is determined to give back money to those whose lives she has impacted.
Her path ahead will be filled with challenges, but with the unwavering love and support of her family and friends, Jen is prepared to face these challenges and emerge from this experience as a better person who can make a positive impact. has on others.’
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