Where Is Jen Shah Now? Inside the Former ‘Real Housewives’ Star’s Life Today

Jen Shah is one of several Real Housewives who have run into trouble with the law.

Shah first rose to fame in 2020 as one of the original cast members on the Bravo reality series The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Shah — along with her husband, the University of Utah football coach Sharrieff Shah; two sons, Sharrieff Jr. and Omar; and “assistants” — appeared on the show for three seasons, showcasing her self-proclaimed “over-the-top” personality, fashion and lifestyle.

But in 2021, both the cast and viewers of RHOSLC were shocked when Shah was arrested in the midst of filming season 2. Shah and her fellow housewives were traveling to Vail, Colo., when she was apprehended by federal agents and hit with fraud and money laundering charges in relation to a nationwide telemarketing scheme.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh stated that Shah and her conspirators “flaunted their lavish lifestyle to the public as a symbol of their ‘success.’ In reality, they allegedly built their opulent lifestyle at the expense of vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people.”

“As a result, their new reality may very well turn out differently than they expected,” Fitzhugh’s statement continued. For Shah, who pleaded guilty to her crimes in July 2022, her “new reality” involves serving out a since-reduced 6.5-year federal prison sentence for her role in the telemarketing scandal.

So where is Jen Shah now? Here’s everything to know about the former Real Housewife’s life in prison, including whether or not she will return to the Bravo franchise.

Who is Jen Shah?

Prior to her legal troubles, Shah was best known as one of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. On the show, the longtime Utah resident flaunted her wealth and success — from her $7-plus-million Park City home (which she referred to as the “Shah Chalet”) and her multiple assistants to throwing a $85,000 birthday party for fellow castmate Meredith Marks.

“I make millions,” Shah claimed in a casting tape, according to Business Insider. “I probably spend at least 50 grand a month.”

But Shah was less forthcoming on the show about how she made her fortune. During the season 1 reunion episode, Andy Cohen specifically questioned Shah about what she did for work.

“What do you actually do?” the Bravo host asked. “Specifically, people are wondering how’d you get so rich?”

“My background is in direct response marketing for about 20 years,” Shah responded. “So our company does advertising, where you have a platform that helps people acquire customers.”

According to Business Insider, Shah owned and operated multiple direct marketing companies, including Red Steele and Mastery Pro Group.

Red Steele was a lead broker business that compiled target customers for partner companies and then took a cut of whatever services were sold. Mastery Pro Group, meanwhile, was a telemarketing company that sold fraudulent business services to clients.

What crimes was Jen Shah accused of?

In March 2021, Shah was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s press release.

Shah was accused of running a nationwide telemarketing scheme for about nine years, from 2012 to 2021. Federal prosecutors alleged that her companies provided customer names to companies that, in turn, sold fake business services over the phone, often for fees of tens of thousands of dollars.

Shah would then “receive as profit a share of the fraudulent revenue,” according to the federal indictment. The scam allegedly raked in millions of dollars from more than 1,000 victims, who were primarily elderly individuals.

“Jennifer Shah, who portrays herself as a wealthy and successful businessperson on ‘reality’ television … allegedly generated and sold ‘lead lists’ of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said at the time in the press release.

It continued, “In actual reality and as alleged, the so-called business opportunities pushed on the victims … were just fraudulent schemes, motivated by greed, to steal victims’ money.”

Shah faced up to 50 years in prison if found guilty on both charges. The charge of conspiracy to commit wife fraud in connection with telemarketing carried a maximum sentence of 30 years, while the count of conspiracy to commit money laundering had a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Who else was involved in Jen Shah’s crimes?

The same day as Shah’s arrest, Stuart Smith — her so-called “first assistant” — was also taken into custody, questioned and charged with the same federal crimes.

Smith, who regularly appeared on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City alongside Shah, was portrayed as her personal assistant. In fact, Smith was more than just Shah’s assistant; he was her business partner in her various marketing companies.

Federal prosecutors described the scam as a “coordinated effort” between Shah and Smith and hit Smith with identical charges: One count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

What was Jen Shah’s plea?

In April 2021, both Shah and Smith initially pleaded not guilty. However, in November 2021, Smith changed his plea to guilty and also agreed to testify against Shah, who still maintained her innocence, according to Business Insider.

In light of Smith’s cooperation, Shah switched her original plea of not guilty to guilty in July 2022. At the change of plea hearing in New York, the reality star admitted to Judge Sidney H. Stein that she had committed “wire fraud, offering services with little to no value.”

“I knew many of the purchasers were over the age of 55. I am so sorry,” she added.

What was Jen Shah’s sentence for her crimes?

On Jan. 6, 2023, Shah was sentenced to 78 months (6.5 years) in prison for her role in the telemarketing fraud scheme.

Judge Stein, who described Shah as the “leader of this conspiracy,” also sentenced Shah to five years of supervised release once she is out of prison to ensure she doesn’t “end up committing another crime.”

Shah’s husband and kids attended her sentencing hearing, where the reality star expressed her remorse for her crimes.

“I am sorry. My actions have hurt innocent people. I want to apologize by saying, I am doing all I can to earn the funds to pay restitution,” she said to the court.

Shah’s attorney, Priya Chaudhry, issued a statement to PEOPLE after the decision: “Jen Shah deeply regrets the mistakes that she has made and is profoundly sorry to the people she has hurt. Jen has faith in our justice system, understands that anyone who breaks the law will be punished, and accepts this sentence as just. Jen will pay her debt to society and when she is a free woman again, she vows to pay her debt to the victims harmed by her mistakes.”

Smith, meanwhile, was sentenced to nine months in prison in December 2024, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Where is Jen Shah now?

Shah has been serving her sentence at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Bryan, Texas, since Feb. 17, 2023, when she reported to prison. She is being held at the same facility as disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, who was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison for defrauding investors with her medical startup.

Shah has shared several updates about her life behind bars through journal entries, and posts on social media and her website. She’s opened up about the “anxiety attack” she experienced on her first day, how she’s battled “self-destructive” thinking during her sentence, and how she’s come to view her time in prison as a “rehabilitative journey.”

In her most recent update, posted in May 2025, a representative for Shah shared an image of the reality star jumping rope in prison, along with a note written by Shah.

“I remain consistent in my passion for fitness and helping other inmates achieve similar goals. You will see more soon,” she wrote in the update that was shared on her website. “I can only control what I can control.”

Shah’s prison sentence has also been lessened several times since she entered FPC Bryan in 2023. That March, her 6.5-year sentence was reduced by one year, moving her release date to Aug. 30, 2028.

In January 2025, Shah’s release date was bumped up again, to Nov. 3, 2026; and then again to Oct. 4, 2026. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Shah will be let out of prison on Aug. 30, 2026 — three years and six months after she began her sentence.

Are Jen Shah and Sharrieff Shah still together?

Shah’s marriage to Sharrieff remains “strong,” despite the couple being physically separated while the former reality star is in prison.

“Jen and Coach Shah are doing really well,” a representative for Shah told PEOPLE in September 2023. “He still sees her often, and they talk on the phone frequently. There are still ups and downs, of course, due to the long distances but their marriage is still going strong.”

The rep added, “He’s so supportive of her. He’s still very much by his wife. He’s 100% behind Jen.”

Shah echoed this sentiment in an Instagram post from Valentine’s Day 2025. “Even from miles away, my love and gratitude for you are stronger than ever,” she wrote. “Thank you for sticking by my side and never letting go of my hand.”

The couple recently celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary in August 2025, which Shah commemorated on social media as well.

Is Jen Shah returning to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City?

Shah has not appeared on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City since season 3. But in November 2024, cast member Marks teased the possibility of Shah’s return to the reality series once she is out of prison.

While filming an episode of Watch What Happens Live in November 2024, Marks, Heather Gay and Lisa Barlow agreed that they would rather see Shah come back to the show than former cast member Monica Garcia.

Marks later explained to PEOPLE why the cast was open to forgiving Shah.

“Accountability goes a long way in our circle,” Marks said. “If you say, ‘Look, I screwed up and I made a mistake and I’m sorry’ — that matters. If she’s taking accountability and doing what she needs to do to make it better, that’s the best she can do right now. There’s nothing else she can do beyond that.”