Real housewives star Jennifer Shah and her assistant arrested for fraud and telemarketing scam
Reality TV star Jennifer Shah and her personal assistant, Stuart Smith, were accused Tuesday of fleecing hundreds of mostly elderly investors through sham online business opportunities beginning in 2012.
Shah and Smith allegedly played a key role in the scheme by trafficking “lead lists” of potential victims distributed to “sales floors” in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New York, and Jersey, Manhattan federal prosecutors charged.
“Shah and Smith flaunted their lavish lifestyle to the public as a symbol of their ‘success.’ In reality, they allegedly built their opulent lifestyle at the expense of vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people,” Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent-in-Charge Peter Fitzhugh said.
According to an indictment, the scam targeted people over 55, who were provided documents and other records to trick them into thinking an investment was legitimate, according to an indictment. But victims never earned any of the promised returns on their investment. Shan and Smith controlled “each aspect of the frauds” that tricked victims into losing money, prosecutors said.
“I try to be, like, a fairly smart person, but remember I was like, ‘I still don’t get it,’” Shah’s friend and fellow reality star Heather Gay said.
Shah, 47, is a relatively new arrival to the “Real Housewives” franchise on the Bravo channel. The Salt Lake City series debuted in November and was recently renewed for a second season.
Smith, 43, was a member of the “Shah Squad” team of assistants who accompanied the short-tempered businesswoman wherever she went.
“My background is in direct response marketing for about 20 years, so our company does advertising. We have a platform that helps people acquire customers, so when you’re shopping online or on the internet, and something pops, we have the algorithm behind why you’re getting served that ad,” Shah has said.
According to a February article on the bravo website, her fellow cast members were perplexed by her work line.
Shah and Smith are each charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, which carry a combined maximum sentence of 50 years.
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