Jen Shah's RHOSLC Costar Meredith Marks Calls Her 'Gutsy' for Film as She Awaits Sentencing for Fraud
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's Meredith Marks is sharing her thoughts on cost Jen Shah's legal situation.
"It's just very risky [to stay on the show] because whether you are guilty or not, it is so easy to say something that could be spun to incriminate you," Marks, 50, said on Wednesday's episode of the #NoFilter with Zack Peter podcast.
"And I just think it's kind of scary. I mean, I think it's really gutsy that she stayed on. I do," the reality star continued. "I don't think I could under those circumstances."
RELATED: Everything to Know About Real Housewives Star Jen Shah's Fraud Case
Shah, 48, unexpectedly entered a guilty plea for financial crimes in July and is currently scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 28.
As to what her costar should (or shouldn't) share with cameras and producers, Marks called it a "tricky boundary."
"Once you open that door you can lose a lot of your rights," she said, "and that's very problematic so you have to be very very careful."
Chad Kirkland/Bravo/Getty (2)
RELATED: Jen Shah Files Motion to Request 'RHOSLC' Footage Not Be Shown During Her Fraud Trial
The allegations against Shah first came to light on camera in April 2021. She abruptly left a filming for season 2 and was arrested later that day. Among the other RHOSLC women, "everybody was surprised," said Marks. "I don't think anyone was expecting that."
At the time, Marks was processing the death of her father, which put distance between her and Shah. "I told Jen, 'I can't be your friend,'" she recalls. "It wasn't because I did or didn't want to support her, I couldn't even process what was happening to her because I could barely handle what I was dealing with in my own world at that moment."
More recently, Marks said she and Shah have been texting "a little" but haven't had a full conversation.
RELATED: RHOSLC: Meredith Marks Makes Up with Jen Shah Following Heated Argument About Son Brooks
Chad Kirkland/Bravo/ Getty Jen Shah
After Shah switched her plea in a New York court on July 11, her attorney Priya Chaudhry told PEOPLE: "Ms. Shah is a good woman who crossed a line."
Shah had been charged for conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud alongside her assistant Stuart Smith, 43. Though both initially entered please of not guilty (and Shah's legal team even attempted to get the charges dismissed in August 2021), Smith switched his plea to guilty last November but has not yet been sentenced.
Chaudhry's statement from July continued: "[Shah] accepts full responsibility for her actions and deeply apologizes to all who have been harmed. Ms. Shah is also sorry for disappointing her husband, children, family, friends, and supporters. Jen pled guilty because she wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family."
Andrew Peterson/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Per a Twitter thread from Inner City Press's Matthew Russell Lee, Shah told Judge Sidney H. Stein that she had committed "Wire fraud, offering services with little to no value."
She continued, "We used interstate telephones and emails. I knew many of the purchasers were over the age of 55. I am so sorry."
Judge Stein then asked the reasoning for these things being purchased, Shah explained she had offered "misrepresentations, regarding the value of the product or service, of which it had little to none."
"Did you know it was wrong and illegal?" asked Judge Stein, to which Shah responded, "Yes, your Honor."
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Shah's decision to enter a guilty plea means she will not stand trial. She faces a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison and has said she will not
