Radar Online
One of the individuals who were scammed out of money by Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah and her cohorts wrote an emotional letter to the judge demanding the Bravo star serve 14 years and pay her back the money she lost, RadarOnline.com has learned.
RadarOnline.com has obtained an emotional letter submitted to the court by a 60-year-old woman who lost tens of thousands signing up for Shah's scheme.
As we previously reported, Prosecutors accused Shah of playing a key role in a telemarketing fraud scheme that preyed on the elderly. Shah pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She agreed to forfeit $6.5 million.
Shah faces up to 14 years in prison. She has argued for a 3-year sentence while prosecutors believe she should serve 10 years.
As part of their argument, the prosecutors had victims write statements to the court. In the latest letter, the 60-year-old one described the “effect that the criminal actions of Jennifer Shah have had” on her.
“Not only has her actions caused financial stress for me, I have suffered emotional and physical stress due to her actions as well. My overall health is forever changed,” she said.
The victim explained Shah and her cohorts offered programs to help people launch their own websites to sell various products. The woman said she continued to pay money to Shah and others as they promised the business would make her money.
However, she said she racked up $35k in debt and had no profits to show. She said, “Sleeping at night became increasingly difficult because I was constantly worried about my finances. I only had a small pension. It was not enough to pay my mortgage, utilities, household expenses, monthly credit card payments across four different accounts. I grew dizzy at times, started sweating more than usual, and I became increasingly weaker. I worried all the time.”
In 2018, the woman said she suffered a heart attack and had to be admitted to the hospital. Doctors told her it was brought on by extreme stress. After the heart attack, the victim said she had to start taking a variety of medicines.
After being released, she tried once again to work on the business with Shah's company. However, she said they completely locked her out of the website she created and all her work was gone.
The victim said she tried to get her money back in July 2018 after realizing she was being scammed. However, she then had another heart attack on August 8 of that year.
“Just about every day, I live with an uneasy feeling that if I experience any other stressful situations I will have another heart attack,” she said. “I believe that I should receive full restitution from Jennifer Shah to cover the entire amount that I invested and lost as a result of her fraudulent activities, which was $35,290. Additionally, I should receive twice the above amount in restitution for my medical expenses and pain and suffering.”
“Now only should Jennifer pay restitution, she should be given the maximum prison sentence allowed by law,” the woman said.
Shah will be sentenced next month.
