We all handle grief differently, you know?
Late last week, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah was sentenced to 6.5 years in federal prison for her role in orchestrating a nefarious fraud scheme.
As Shah admitted this past July, he lied to an endless array of elderly victims about potential business opportunities to steal financial information.
They then sell the information to the highest bidder.
“People should not confuse, and this court will not confuse, the character I play in an entertainment show with the person I am,” the judge told the court on Friday before sentencing Shah to 78 months.
“The rest is acting and this is reality.”
According to legal documents filed by her team, Shah has been asked to be placed in a minimum security prison.
He will report to jail on February 17.
However, until now, Bravo’s personality is that of a free woman – and she surprised some observers with the way she used that freedom after the sentence.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast members — who learned their fate in federal court Monday morning — dined and drank with a group of 20 at Italian hotspot Valbella on the Park in Midtown later that night, Page Six reports.
“They had two people standing around the table blocking anyone from taking photos,” an insider told this outlet, adding that they could not confirm whether Shah’s wife or friends were among those who attended the apparent celebration.
Shah will be released five years after his release from prison and will have to pay more than $6 million in restitution to the people he wronged.
“This is a crucible moment for me,” he said in front of the judge.
“With the right medicine, I can now see what happened. I wish I had stood outside myself. I am sorry.
“I find solace in voluntary work, with anti-racism organizations and the LGBT community.”
He also apologized to the victims.
“My actions have hurt innocent people,” Shah said. “I want to apologize by saying, I am doing everything I can to get the funds to pay the restitution.”
The polarizing figure added that he is still being paid by Bravo and will use this salary to pay compensation.
Shah, who has maintained his innocence for months, has said in the past that he considered suicide after his arrest in March 2021.
Priya Chaudhry, Shah’s attorney, sent this statement to Variety after Friday’s sentencing:
“Jen Shah deeply regrets his mistake and apologizes to those he has hurt.
“Jen believes in our justice system, knows that anyone who breaks the law will be punished, and accepts this punishment as fair.
“Jen will pay her debt to society and when she is a free woman again, she vows to pay her debt to the victims who have been harmed by her wrongdoing.