The 'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' star, who was found guilty in her controversial telemarketing fraud scheme, enters FPC Bryan Prison in Bryan, Texas which is described as a minimum-security facility for women.
- Feb 18, 2023
AceShowbiz - Jen Shah has reported to prison to start her prison sentence for her controversial telemarketing fraud scheme. "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star entered FPC Bryan Prison in Bryan, Texas, on Friday, February 17. TMZ was the first to report.
FPC Byran is located about 100 miles northeast of Austin and 100 miles northwest of Houston. According to Page Six, the 37-acre campus is often described as a "cushy" prison and is a minimum-security facility for women.
"Instead of cells, these camps generally offer dormitory-style housing for all inmates; it will be bunk beds," criminal defense attorney Doug Murphy previously told The Post. It's also reported that the Bravo personality would not be the only public figure in the facility as disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was ordered to begin her 11-year stint there.
Before Jen entered prison, her attorney Priya Chaudhry issued a statement to PEOPLE on Thursday, saying, "Jen Shah's resolve to make her victims whole and to turn her life around is unyielding." The statement continued, "She is committed to serving her sentence with courage and purpose, fueled by her desire to make amends for the hurt she has caused and to help others in her new community. No obstacle will deter Jen from making the most of her time in prison and she's determined to make restitution to those whose lives she has impacted."
It added, "Her path ahead will be filled with challenges, but with the unwavering love and support of her family and friends, Jen is prepared to face these challenges head-on and emerge from this experience a better person who makes a positive impact on others."
Jen, who initially pleaded not guilty, was sentenced on January 6 after being convicted of scamming elderly citizens out of millions of dollars in the telemarketing scheme she ran from at least 2012 to March 2021. A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York also revealed that she's required "to forfeit $6,500,000, 30 luxury items, and 78 counterfeit luxury items, and to pay $6,645,251 in restitution."
"Jen Shah deeply regrets the mistakes that she has made and is profoundly sorry to the people she has hurt," her lawyer said at the time. "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."
