Maybe she should have dropped out?
Meredith Marks thinks it was “risky” for Jen Shah to film “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” when her fraud case came to light.
“Whether you’re guilty or not, it’s so easy to say something that could be spun to incriminate you,” the 50-year-old reality star said on Wednesday’s “#NoFilter with Zack Peter” podcast.
‘And I just think it’s scary. I mean, I think it’s really guts that she stayed. I do,” she continued. “I don’t think I could under those circumstances.”
Last month, Shah, 48, pleaded guilty when she appeared before U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein in Manhattan federal court, overturning her previous plea of not guilty.
Under a plea, she had admitted her guilt on one count, conspiracy to commit telemarketing, while the US attorney agreed to drop the other charge against her, conspiracy to launder money.
Shah’s lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, previously told Vidak For Congress that the plea was made at the last minute because Shah “wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family.”
Shah faces up to 30 years in prison and five years of supervised release. However, the plea deal demanded only 11 to 14 years behind bars and restitution of up to $9.5 million.
Before the second count was dropped, she was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for November.
Shah has reportedly defrauded hundreds of people through a nationwide telemarketing program. Her arrest in March 2021 was documented in season 2 of “RHOSLC”.
Vidak For Congress exclusively reported that Bravo cameras tracked Shah leading up to her July appearance, though season 3 production was technically completed earlier this year.
Marks and “RHOSLC” co-star Heather Gay met Shah in New York City ahead of her pre-trial hearing to show support. Both women got closer to the embattled Bravolebrity while filming the show’s latest episode.
Marks, who studied law at Northwestern University, further showed her allegiance on social media the night before the hearing, writing that “in the US, a person has the right to a trial and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
The jewelry designer explained her intent behind the post with host Zack Peter.
“Honestly, I had a post on my Instagram feed, a photo with me and Heather and Jen on it and there were a lot of really cruel comments, calling Jen a criminal and all these things,” she said.
“That may be the case if you want to say that now, but if someone has pleaded not guilty and they haven’t had a trial, then it’s not up to me or anyone but the jury in that case — because it was planned to be a to be a jury trial – to make that decision.”
Marks noted that she became “frustrated” by the hatred expressed against Shah. “Because I have a legal background and to me it felt like this is not what our law says,” she explained. “So let’s make it clear what our law does say.”
Marks admitted she was “surprised” by Shah’s last-minute plea, who had proclaimed her innocence, both on television and in court.
“Of course I am surprised. I think everyone is probably surprised,’ she said. “I don’t think anyone expected that.”
The mental health advocate, who has spent most of the summer vacation in Europe, added that she and Shah have not spoken on the phone since the plea.
“We texted a bit, but I haven’t had any conversations with her,” Marks revealed. “I’ve been out of the country and she’s now getting her oldest son into medical school, so I haven’t really talked to her.”