The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is reportedly “in shock” and feeling “disappointed” after learning Jen Shah changed her plea of not guilty to guilty in court on Monday.
According to a new report, the ladies of the Bravo reality series are “feeling duped, misled and lied to by their friend,” who maintained she was innocent of crimes of money laundering and fraud for over a year after being accused of targeting the elderly in a years-long telemarketing scheme.
“The whole time Jen has never wavered on maintaining her innocence,” an insider explained to E! News on July 12.
In the days leading up to Jen’s guilty plea, she was seen spending time with co-stars Heather Gay and Meredith Marks. However, when it comes to their knowledge of her plan to admit to committing fraud, it’s unclear if either of them knew a thing. And if Meredith’s recent Instagram Story, in which she seemingly referenced her castmate’s innocence, saying, “In the US, one has a right to a trial and is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” is any indicator, she was not aware that Jen was about to plead guilty.
Luckily for RHOSLC fans, Heather and Meredith’s reactions, along with the reactions of their co-stars, are being captured by the cameras for season three.
After Jen admitted in court that she “agreed with others to commit with wire fraud” and “knew it misled” victims, many of whom she knew were over the age of 55,” her attorney, Priya Chaudhry, released a statement.
“Ms. Shah is a good woman who crossed a line. She accepts full responsibility for her actions and deeply apologizes to all who have been harmed. Ms. Shah is also sorry for disappointing her husband, children, family, friends, and supporters. Jen pled guilty because she wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family,” the statement read.
While none of the RHOSLC cast has released statements on their social media pages, former cast member Mary Cosby did so on Monday, just hours after Jen’s plea was entered.
“Thou shall not steal… Shascamming,” Mary wrote in her message, along with hashtags for “prayers answered,” “God’s favorite,” and “guilty.”
Andy Cohen also responded to the legal development, saying on his radio show that he doesn’t “know how to feel about” it and admitting he was hesitant to label her as “guilty.”
“All it means is she’s changing her plea,” he noted.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is expected to return to Bravo for season three later this year.
