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A co-defendant in Jen Shah‘s telemarketing scheme case was denied a reduced sentence by a judge on Tuesday.
Shah, who stars in “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” was arrested in 2021 on federal fraud charges stemming from allegations she conspired to commit wire fraud and laundered money in connection to a purported telemarketing scam that targeted the elderly, federal prosecutors said.
The Bravo personality faces multiple counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Shah’s alleged involvement dates back to 2012, and while the reality star and her assistant Stuart Smith were hit with an indictment last spring, the case goes back to 2019 and involves many other co-defendants: Anthony Cheedie, Chad Allen, Shane Hanna, Cameron Brewster, Kevin Handren, Joseph Ciaccio, Joseph Minetto, Joseph Depaola, Derek Larkin, Joseph Chirico and Mattie Cirilo.
Jen Shah revealed during the third and final installment of the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” Season 2 reunion why she didn’t take a plea deal in her ongoing fraud trial.
(Heidi Gutman/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
In a new filing dated Tuesday, April 19, a judge denied Larkin a reduced sentence. He was initially sentenced to 72 months plus five years of supervised release.
Larkin had cited medical concerns as the “primary basis” for his motion.
“Accordingly, defendant’s motion is denied due to the lack of extraordinary and compelling circumstances as well as the fact that the section 3553(a) factors do not support a reduction in his sentence,” Judge Sidney H. Stein ruled.
The filing also provides some background information about Larkin’s sentence. The guideline range for Larkin’s conviction of conspiracy to commit wire fraud was 151 to 188 months, which reflected his past criminal history. “At sentencing, the Court varied downward from the guidelines range, taking into account Larkin’s role as a salesperson and not a manager in the conspiracy, his remorse and his young family, among other personal circumstances,” the document states.
The “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” supported Shah, with her friend, Heather Gay, speaking kind words on Shah’s behalf.
(Chad Kirkland/Bravo)
Meanwhile, Shah, whose trial got pushed to July 2022, revealed in March during the third and final installment of the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” Season 2 reunion why she didn’t take a plea deal.
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“I’m fighting this. I am innocent,” she told host Andy Cohen and her castmates after Cohen pointed out the “success rate” of the New York State Attorney.
“And I will fight for every person out there that can’t fight for themselves because they don’t have the resources or the means, so they don’t fight.”
Shah continued, “I will fight because No. 1, I’m innocent and No. 2, I’m going to f—king represent every other person out there that can’t fight and hasn’t been able to.”
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Shah defended her innocence in March.
(Chad Kirkland/Bravo)
The 48-year-old faces multiple counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years, while the money laundering charge carries a maximum of 20.
The New York Police Department said in a statement in March 2021 at the time of Shah’s arrest that the number of victims Shah and her “first assistant” Smith had allegedly duped stood in the “hundreds” and noted that the alleged fraud had gone on for nearly a decade, starting in 2012.
Smith has since pleaded guilty for his involvement in the alleged nationwide fraud scheme.
Fox News’ Janelle Ash and Julius Young and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
