Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah uploaded one final Instagram post this Friday before starting her six-and-a-half-year sentence for fraud.
The 49-year-old was being held at FPC Bryan, a minimum-security prison for women in Bryan, Texas, her attorney confirmed to . She was being treated in prison after she surrendered Friday afternoon.
In her final Instagram post before entering the facility, she wrote: “I pray that over time people will judge me for how I reacted to this verdict and not just for the decisions that got me into prison .”
Shah added, “I believe in earning freedom and I will work towards that goal by making things right with the people I’ve hurt.”
In a statement, her lawyer Priya Chaudhry told she was “determined to serve her sentence with courage and determination”.
Headed to jail: Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah uploaded one final Instagram post this Friday before starting her six-and-a-half-year sentence for fraud
As she was: Shah is pictured in a recent episode of The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City
Shah’s Instagram message this Friday began: “I surrender to serve a sentence in federal prison today. It’s a price I have to pay for the bad decisions I made.”
She admitted: “People have been hurt because of my decisions. During my incarceration I will work to make amends and be reconciled with the victims of my crime.’
Shah directed her followers to “a more complete video call explaining the release schedule I’ve created. It’s the line I drew that shows my commitment to working to overcome bad decisions I made during a personal crisis.”
The reality star continued, “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 to prison.”
She concluded: “I will publish my work and make the path transparent by inviting others to hold me accountable. I believe in earning freedom and I will work towards that goal by making things right with the people I’ve hurt.
The caption read: “**while Jen is away an admin will be running her accounts to keep #ShahSquad updated, thanks for your continued love and support.”
Shah, the loudmouthed outcast from the Bravo show she appeared on, pleaded guilty to fraud in a sensational about-face last year.
She had maintained her innocence both on the air and on social media for months.
Contrite: She wrote, “I pray that over time people will judge me for how I reacted to this verdict and not just for the decisions that got me to prison.”
Jen Shah (shown during her January sentencing hearing) is due to report to jail today
Shah asked to be sent to FPC Bryan, a minimum-security camp in Bryan, Texas
She admitted to running a years-long telemarketing scheme targeting vulnerable elderly, tricking them into buying fake business advice
“Jen Shah’s determination to heal her victims and transform their lives is unyielding.
“She is committed to serving her sentence with courage and determination, driven by her desire to repair the harm 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 make amends to those whose lives she has impacted.
“Her journey will be full of challenges, but with the unwavering love and support of her family and friends, Jen is ready to face those challenges head on and emerge from this experience a better person who will have a positive impact on others.”
Shah and her son got matching tattoos yesterday ahead of their sentence
At her sentencing hearing last month, Shah pleaded for clemency as she told the judge how sorry she was.
Shah’s victims were sucked into endless payments or subscription services that they couldn’t get out of — or didn’t know how to do.
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.
Federal prosecutors sought a 10-year sentence for Shah, while her attorneys suggested she serve three.
They rejected her promises of repentance and pointed out how they made criminal prosecution a personality trait and a line of trade.
“For nearly a decade, the defendant was an integral leader of a large-scale, nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that victimized thousands of innocent people. Many of these people were elderly or vulnerable.
Police confiscated dozens of fake bags and trinkets from Shah’s home
The 49-year-old is one of the most bombastic characters in the Bravo series in which she stars
“Many of these people suffered significant financial hardship and damage.
“On the orders of the defendant, the victims were duped over and over again until they had nothing.
“She and her co-conspirators persisted in their behavior until the victims’ bank accounts were empty, their credit cards were maxed out and there was nothing left to take.
“Despite the defendants’ best efforts, she was caught.
“She then went on a public offensive, trying to cash in on the charges by selling Justice for Jen merchandise. She pleaded guilty at the eleventh hour, only after receiving the government’s trial evidence and testimony.
“In light of her behavior and her behavior after the arrest, her belated expressions of remorse ring hollow,” wrote US Attorney Damian Williams.