Shah could be the second ‘Housewives’ star to serve serious federal time
It is unclear if an imprisoned Shah would have any future «housewife» roles, so that her seat would stay warm. famous New Jersey resident Teresa Giudice.
When «Real Housewives of New Jersey» star Giudice was convicted of fraud in 2014Bravo postponed filming for the show’s seventh season until its premiere.
During those 11 months she served, the network aired a three-episode spin-off, «Teresa Checks In,» giving viewers a raw look at the Giudice family’s struggles while their matriarch was in «camp.»
The show featured emotional phone calls between an incarcerated Giudice, her husband, and four daughters during milestones she missed while away, like her eldest daughter Gia’s eighth-grade prom and graduation.
In the following season premiere of “Real Housewives,” cameras rolled as Giudice got out of prison and was tearfully reunited with her family in his first moments back home.
Shah should get 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, feds say
The Justice Department is seeking a decade in prison for «The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City» star Jen Shah ahead of her Jan. 6 sentencing for running a nationwide telemarketing scheme targeting seniors, according to court documents. recently filed that also include a previously unreported victim. shock statements from some of the seniors she let down.
The December 23 filing calls Shah, 49, «the most guilty person charged in this case» and «an integral leader of a vast, nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that victimized thousands of innocent people.»
“At the direction of the defendant, the victims were conned over and over again until they had nothing left,” wrote Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. «She and her co-conspirators persisted in her conduct until the victims’ bank accounts were empty, their credit cards were maxed out, and there was nothing else to take.»
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How long will Shah really spend behind bars?
There is no parole in the federal prison system, and good conduct credits are slim compared to most states.
The best case scenario for any federal inmate would be to get just under 15% of his sentence reduced through good time credit.
So a sentence of 36 months (3 years) could see Shah spend 30 and a half months behind bars. A sentence of 120 months (10 years) could mean 8 and a half years in prison.
If she is sentenced to prison, what would happen next?
It would be highly unlikely that Judge Stein would keep Shah, a nonviolent offender already out on bail, in custody immediately after sentencing.
Shah was most likely given a date, at least a month from now, to turn himself in at a federal facility.
Once she is sentenced, Shah’s fate falls into the hands of the Bureau of Prisons.
Most offenders seek accommodation close to home and the nearest women’s facilities to Salt Lake City would be FCI Dublineast of San Francisco, or FCI Phoenix. But there’s no way to know immediately if Shah’s yet-to-be-determined security classification would fit any of those facilities.
Their best hope would be to be considered the most appropriate for a minimum security field.
«If she gets three years, and it’s purely white collar and there’s no violence involved, then there’s a good chance for a camp,» said Danny Cevallos, NBC News legal analyst.
“A minimum security field, I mean even going to the next level, which is still ‘low security,’ that’s a big difference. If you are eligible for camp, you will go to Alaska if you can go to camp.»
Jessica Chastain: ‘I feel bad for everyone’
Oscar winner and «Housewives» fan Jessica Chastain expressed her sympathy for Shah on Thursday night’s «Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen» on Bravo.
Cohen put Chastain on the spot, asking his thoughts on Shah, and the actor said he was thinking about the sons of sha that he might be without his mother for an extended period of time.
“I feel bad for everyone involved. There is a family and a small child. It’s sad,» Chastain said.
Cohen referenced Shah again later on «WWHL», showing «Salt Lake City». footage of law enforcement agents approaching cast members looking for their suspect.
“Salt Lake City” airs on Wednesday nights and at the end of the most recent show, it showed a clip for the next episode. Shah was shown cursing his co-defendant and assistant in one fell swoop. Stuart Smith, who pleaded guilty.