A long statement regarding the moments leading up to the beginning Mr. ShahThe prison sentence was shared on her Instagram page on Thursday.
The week after The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast member begins the 6.5-year prison sentence she is serving as a result of her fraud crime, Jen opens up about the “nightmare” she suffered when she entered the facility, remembering her last moments with her husband. Sharrieff “Coach” Shah and his younger son, Umar Shah.
“Two miles from Bryan Federal Prison Camp (FPC), I couldn’t breathe and my hands were numb. I knew I was having an anxiety attack,” Jen began in her March 9 post. “[I made] The coach pulled over because our reception was poor while driving and I couldn’t FaceTime my oldest baby. We finally connected, I saw his face, and I cried a lot until he reassured me that it would be okay. I don’t think I’ll make it through today. It felt surreal when we drove to Bryan FPC just a few minutes from having to give up. Fear the worst and the unimaginable will happen – having to say goodbye to my sweet husband and precious baby Omar (he will be my baby even though he is a senior [high school]).”
“We approached the gate and were told to pull into a parking stall next to a white van. Everything happened quickly. There was a guard waiting outside our SUV, and two other officers approached, which I later learned was one Captain. [I leaned] went to the seat next to me and hugged Omar as tight as I could and cried as I buried my head in his chest and held him tightly. [I] don’t want to face the fact that this is the last time I hug him for a while,” he continued.
RHOSLC stars say goodbye to Sharrieff.
“I turned to hug her; hugging her as if holding her tighter would take away this horrible nightmare,” she recalled. “I wanted to remember her hug, her smell, her touch. I held her face in both my hands. As [I] looking into his eyes, tears streaming down my face, I told him he is the love of my life and I love him more than anything. Having a few seconds to tell your husband how much you love him and hoping he realizes the truth of your love while the officers stand there silently asking you to move quickly is the most terrifying experience. It’s like you know your world is coming to an end and you have 30 seconds to tell your loved one how much you love them and hope they feel your love and know how big it is.
Then hugging Sharrieff and Omar, Jen said she was pulled tight as she prayed, “God, please protect my family, please God.”
After officials later tell Jen that her time is up, she realizes that she won’t be able to bring all of her belongings to the prison.
“The officer allowed me to keep the paper containing my prescription, the original medicine, [glasses], and contacts but they didn’t let me bring the release plan, contact list, Quran, or driver’s license,” he explained. “So, I returned all those things to Sharrieff. The only item that made me feel immediately isolated was not having a contact list. I don’t have the mental bandwidth to remember the emails, addresses and phone numbers of my family and loved ones. I feel alone.”
At that moment, Omar gave him one last hug.
“We hugged twice so tightly that I felt the air leave my lungs, and I cried harder,” she said. “Omar has become stronger through everything. As [I] Seeing his little boyish face again and finally letting go of the wall of power – the pain, hurt and sadness on my baby boy’s face was transparent now. His eyes said ‘Mama please don’t go.'”
“[I tell] I love him so much. I hugged and kissed Sharrieff again and that’s when I cried,” he added.
Then, Jen admits she doesn’t “know [how she is] going to do this.”
“My whole body was numb, I felt like my life was over, and I was so scared,” she admitted. “I want to run back into my husband’s arms because I know he will end this nightmare. I feel physical pain. I feel like I don’t belong here. I thought I could do this but I’ve decided I can’t. I want to go home now, but I know it’s impossible. May God help me.”
In an additional social media post shared to Jen’s page, Sharrieff appeared to explain that due to prison protocol, it took longer to receive the first two journal entries than expected.
“In most federal facilities across the country, there are individuals who check every email and physical letter that goes out of the facility as well as signs it in so it can be seen that it only takes a few moments for an inmate to send correspondence – not just send it, but receive it,” he pointed out, by LoveAndyC Twitter page.
#RHOSLC Coach Shah shared Jen Shah’s first journal entry from federal prison… pic.twitter.com/x4CG6o1Nzf
– LoveAndyC (@LoveAndyC) March 9, 2023
No word yet on when the second journal entry will be shared.
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season four is currently in production