SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – In late March, ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ star Jen Shah was taken into federal custody for allegedly running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme. The latest episode of the reality show outlines what happened on the day of her arrest.
During episode nine of season two, which aired on Bravo Sunday, Shah and her fellow stars were gearing up for a girls’ trip to Vail, Colorado. While loading a black limousine van the cast was going to take out of Salt Lake City, Shah received a phone call.
Shah can be heard speaking with the person on the other end of the line. At one point she asks, “I need to go to the house?” She then asked another housewife, Whitney Rose, to turn off her microphone pack and went to finish the call outside the van.
The cameras capture Shah speaking with housewife Heather Gay, saying her husband, Sharrieff Sr., was taken to the hospital for “internal bleeding.” Shah told the others what had happened, grabbed her stuff, and left in a vehicle driven by her assistant.
While the other discussed whether or not to go on the trip still, law enforcement officers are seen surrounding the van. As the Daily Mail reports, some officers can be seen in Homeland Security vests while others read ‘police’ or NYPD police.’
One officer is heard saying they are “looking for Jen Shah.” While Rose believed this might be a prank, authorities continue to ask where Shah is and in what vehicle she left in.
Shah was taken into custody later that day, along with her 43-year-old assistant, Stuart Smith. They are both accused of running the telemarketing fraud scheme and conspiring to commit money laundering. Earlier reports indicated Shah was working on the show when she was arrested.
Shah pleaded not guilty to the federal charges earlier this year. Federal court records show Shah is scheduled for a pretrial conference on February 15 and a jury trial on March 7.
A second ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ star, Mary Cosby, is also facing legal troubles. She and her 19-year-old son, Robert Jr., have been charged with providing shelter to a runaway and contributing to a delinquency of a minor. Details about the case have not yet been released, but Cosby is said to have pleaded not guilty to both misdemeanor counts. The alleged offense took place this spring.
Earlier this month, producers of the show not only confirmed it’d be back for a third season but that casting is now underway. There is no word yet on if either of these women or any others are leaving the show.
