Jen Shah Threatens Federal Judge In Her Fraud Case!

Jennifer Shah and her lawyer are demanding that the court adhere to their scheduled summer trial date—or allow a new judge to step in and take over the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star’s case. 

Jen’s lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, filed the request with a federal court judge last week, ahead of the trial’s July 11th start date. Radar Online has obtained court documents that indicate that the proceedings might be delayed due to the court’s schedule. The trial is expected to last about a month. Jen’s attorney is now asking the judge to keep the original start date or reassign the case to a judge who can preside over the case this summer.

As reported in March, Jen’s trial was originally scheduled to begin on March 22 but was rescheduled to the summer start date. 

Jen was arrested in March 2021 and charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection to a massive telemarketing operation. Prosecutors claim that she targeted elderly and vulnerable people to build lists for shady companies. The reality star has denied all of the allegations. The reality star’s arrest was covered during the second season of RHOSLC.

Chaudhry pointed out that the trial was initially scheduled for October 2021, the same year as Jen’s arrest. It was first moved to March 2022 and then to July, due to COVID setbacks and courtroom availability.

“Though Ms. Shah is not in custody the continued long delays in her trial date have been extremely difficult for her and her family and have presented an undue hardship,” the request letter read.

Jen’s attorney stated that she hadn’t been able to schedule other trials due to the Bravo star’s case, and clarified that she works at a small law firm. The letter noted that millions of documents have been reviewed as part of the preparation for the proceedings. Jen and Chaudhry asked if a new judge could be assigned to the case if the original judge was unable to hear the case in July. 

Jen made headlines in March after fans noticed that she was cashing in on the hype that comes with being embroiled in a federal criminal case. The reality star stunned fans when she announced that she was hawking a “Not Guilty” merchandise line, only months ahead of her scheduled trial. 

Jen’s “Shah Squad Apparel” line featured custom-made t-shirts that were listed for $25-$30.   

Jen’s personal assistant, Stuart Smith, was also arrested and charged. He initially pleaded not guilty, but later flipped, pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. Stuart confessed to “misleading customers,” and told the court that a company called Mystery Pro was created “to hide actual ownership of the corporation.”

Lawyer, Ronald Richards, offered an update on Stuart’s sentencing on March 5, tweeting—“Stuart Smith‘s sentencing:  As you can see, numerous sealed filings were placed in the vault. The sentencing was obviously continued and will be moved past Jen Shah’s trial so he can get the benefit of his cooperation.  The docket is slow to catch up.” 

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