BREAKING NEWS'RHOSLC' Star Jen Shah's Co-Defendant Denied Reduced Sentence In TeleMarketing Fraud Scheme: Report
Things are not looking great for Jen Shah.
One of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star's co defendants in the alleged nationwide telemarketing fraud case Derek Larkin was denied a reduced sentence by a judge on Tuesday, April 19.
According to a new filing obtained by Fox News, a judge denied Larkin a reduced sentence after he was initially sentenced to 72 months plus five years of supervised release. Larkin cited medical concerns as the "primary basis" for his motion.
"Accordingly, defendant's motion is denied due to the lack of extraordinary and compelling circumstances as well as the fact that the section 3553(a) factors do not support a reduction in his sentence," Judge Sidney H. Stein ruled in the case.
"At sentencing, the Court varied downward from the guidelines range, taking into account Larkin's role as a salesperson and not a manager in the conspiracy, his remorse and his young family, among other personal circumstances," the legal documents reportedly revealed of the codefendant's alleged role in the scheme.
The guideline range for Larkin's conviction of conspiracy to commit wire fraud was 151 to 188 months.
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According to federal prosecutors, Shah, who rose to fame on the hit Bravo series, was arrested in March 2021 on federal fraud charges stemming from allegations that she conspired to commit wire fraud and laundered money in connection to a purported telemarketing scam that targeted the elderly.
The reality star — who has reportedly been involved with the scheme since 2012— and her assistant Stuart Smith were indicted last year, in addition to co-defendants: Anthony Cheedie, Chad Allen, Shane Hanna, Cameron Brewster, Kevin Handren, Joseph Ciaccio, Joseph Minetto, Joseph Depaola, Larkin, Joseph Chirico and Mattie Cirilo.
Shah's new trial date, which was originally scheduled for March, is now set for July 2022 in New York. The 48-year-old has yet to accept a plea deal, telling Andy Cohen during the Season 2 reunion, "I’m fighting this. I am innocent."
"And I will fight for every person out there that can’t fight for themselves because they don’t have the resources or the means, so they don’t fight," Shah continued. "I will fight because No. 1, I’m innocent and No. 2, I’m going to f**king represent every other person out there that can’t fight and hasn’t been able to."
The embattled housewife faces multiple counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years, while the money laundering charge carries a maximum of 20.
