Jen Shah's Trial Has Been Pushed Back Yet Again
Legal battles and court trials aren't exactly new territory for the "Real Housewives" franchise. Who wasn't completely enthralled in the Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi saga that continues to unfold to this very day, per Vanity Fair. Legal battles are dramatic enough as is, but throw in a reality TV show and suddenly you have an entire seasons worth of women drunkenly fighting and gossiping about each other to give fans quality TV.
Barely two seasons into its run, and "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" has already managed to gain icon status with the unfolding of Jen Shah's fraud legal battle. During Season 2 viewers got to watch Shah walk in the footsteps of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" OG Teresa Giudice, who debuted the first arrest of "The Real Housewives." While Giudice was convicted and did time (nearly a year in prison) the verdict for Shah remains unknown, according to Women's Health.
Between watching as Homeland Security interrupted a housewives trip with their search for Shah, and the now-infamous photos of her and her braids post-arrest, fans have been captivated by the drama, per BBC. viewers were relieved to finally have reached March 2022, when Shah's trial was set to take place, but it looks like they'll have to wait a little longer.
Jen Shah trial pushed to July
Jen Shah and her assistant Stuart Smith were arrested in March 2021. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss explained their charges in an official press release, "Jennifer Shah, who portrays herself as a wealthy and successful businessperson on 'reality' television, and Stuart Smith, who is portrayed as Shah's 'first assistant,' allegedly generated and sold 'lead lists' of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam." Strauss added, "In actual reality and as alleged, the so-called business opportunities pushed on the victims by Shah, Smith, and their co-conspirators were just fraudulent schemes, motivated by greed, to steal victims' money. "
Shah's trial was originally set to take place in October 2021, but was since pushed to March 2022, per Fox 13. Well, it's been pushed again. Attorney Ronald Richards took to Twitter to update everyone that, "Due to numerous issues including pending motions, courtrooms, @therealjenshah trial is continued to July 11, 2022." Richards attached the order document that clearly states, "The final pretrial conference is adjourned to June 27, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. The trial is adjourned to July 11, 2022, at 9:20 a.m."
Fans were devastated at the thought of waiting longer for a verdict, while others were excited to see the drama continue to unfold on the show instead of her getting arrested. @Facesbybravo tweeted, "Is it bad that my first thought after hearing Jen Shah's trial was delayed was that we may luck out and get her for a FOURTH season of #RHOSLC?"