Jailed Jen Shah owes $124,000 in unpaid legal fees and expenses, her former legal team revealed in a bombshell Thursday.
The 49-year-old The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City star is currently serving a 5.5-year sentence for a telemarketing scheme that exploited the elderly and vulnerable. The original sentence of 6.5 years was reduced by a year last month.
Attorney Priya Chaudhry of the New York-based film Chaudhry Law PLLC told Judge Sidney Stein that Shah owes $50,000 in unpaid fees and $74,422.95 in unpaid expenses — a total of $124,422.95.
The filing comes less than two weeks after Chaudhry Law filed a request to resign as counsel for Shah due to her unpaid bills.
It was reported last month that she was being released from prison a year earlier than expected.
Jailed Jen Shah owes $124,000 in unpaid legal fees and expenses, her former legal team revealed in a bombshell Thursday
Page Six reported that her sentence was reduced by a year and her release date is now set for August 30, 2028.
A representative for Shah told People in a statement that the Bravolebrity remains “committed” to making amends for their victims and hopes to return home “as soon as possible”.
“I was on the phone with my client Jen Shah this week – she is fine and remains committed to bringing her victims back to health,” Shah’s rep said.
“She has made her indemnity payments and we hope she will get home as soon as possible so she can resume life with her family and work and put this chapter of her life behind her.”
Shah, one of the most bombastic characters on the Bravo show, was jailed last month after finally admitting years of telemarketing scams targeting the elderly and vulnerable.
Her handover to jail on February 17 came after she pleaded guilty to fraud last year – despite months of prior protesting her innocence both on the air and on social media.
She was sentenced to over six years in prison after admitting to organizing a telemarketing scheme targeting vulnerable elderly and at-risk individuals.
Shah tricked her victims into buying fake business mentoring before finding themselves in relentless subscription payments they couldn’t get out of.
Reduced sentence: The 49-year-old The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City star is currently serving a 5.5-year sentence for a telemarketing scheme that exploited the elderly and vulnerable. The original 6.5-year sentence was reduced by a year last month; Pictured January
Legal Issues: Attorney Priya Chaudhry of the New York-based film company Chaudhry Law PLLC told Judge Sidney Stein that Shah owes $50,000 in unpaid fees and $74,422.95 in unpaid expenses – a total of $124,422.95 dollar
At her sentencing, prosecutors said she laughed callously with colleagues when some of the tearful victims called her and asked to be cleared of the debt.
But after being jailed for the cheating, Shah took to Instagram to apologize for her crime.
“I surrender today to serve a sentence in federal prison,” she wrote.
“This is the price I have to pay for the bad decisions I’ve made. People have been hurt because of my choices.
“During my incarceration, I will work to make amends and be reconciled with the victims of my crime.
“In time, I pray that people will judge me for how I reacted to this verdict, and not just for the decisions that got me into prison.”
Earlier this month, Shah’s husband Sharrieff ‘Coach’ Shah read the correspondence she sent behind bars detailing how she suffered a panic attack en route 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.”
Writing about her feelings on the way to prison, the TV personality said she was overcome with emotion as she drove to surrender alongside her husband.
“I got Coach to pull over because our reception was poor while driving and I couldn’t Facetime my oldest baby,” she continued.
“We finally connected, I saw his face and I cried so much until he assured me it would be okay.
“I didn’t think I would make it through today. It felt surreal as we drove to the Bryan FPC just minutes from surrender.
“My worst fear and the unimaginable was about to happen – I had to say goodbye to my sweet husband and my precious baby Omar (he will always be my baby despite being a senior in HS).”
Shah has been keeping herself busy behind bars as she is currently working with her fellow inmates on a play inspired by the Real Housewives.
Shah was developing a play at her federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, according to TMZ Thursday morning.
The reality star’s manager, Chris Giovanni, told the publication that she is working on a production titled The Real Housewives Of Bryan.
Shah’s manager says it’s still early days as she’s taking the time to teach some of her squad to read and write.
Giovanni told TMZ that the script revolves around the real housewives living in prison, with their personalities turned up a notch.
Keeping busy: Shah has been keeping herself busy behind bars as she is currently working with her fellow inmates on a play inspired by the Real Housewives; She is pictured leaving court in January
Apology: But after she was jailed for the cheating, Shah took to Instagram to apologize for her crime
Shah appears to be making the most of prison as she is said to form strong friendships and even mentor other prisoners while keeping morale up during her sentence.
The manager said she has been working with the prison’s education department and library since she was first incarcerated nearly two months ago.
She has also focused on her health as she has lost 15lbs by exercising daily as Giovanni said she is not a fan of the food.
The manager also said that Shah kept her faith by fasting and praying daily during Ramadan.