Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah has revealed that she “didn’t think she’d make it through the day” when her six-and-a-half-year prison sentence began.
Her husband, Sharrieff ‘Coach’ Shah, read the correspondence she sent from behind bars, detailing that she suffered a panic attack on the way to the federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas.
“I couldn’t breathe and my hands went numb,” she wrote. “I knew I was having an anxiety attack.”
Shah, one of the most bombastic characters on the Bravo show, was locked up last month after finally admitting to running a years-long telemarketing scam that preyed on the elderly and vulnerable.
Shah, left, was sentenced to more than six years in prison for a telemarketing scam that preyed on the elderly and vulnerable for years. He is pictured leaving Manhattan Federal Court after his sentencing.
Jen’s husband, Sharrieff ‘Coach’ Shah, who controls her Instagram accounts while she is incarcerated, shared the first entry from her diary behind bars.
Writing about her time in prison, the television personality said she was overcome with emotion as she drove to turn herself in to a Texas federal prison.
“I had Coach pull over because our reception was bad while driving and I couldn’t Facetime my oldest baby,” she continued.
“We finally connected and I saw his face and cried so hard until he assured me that everything would be okay.”
‘I didn’t think I would make it today. He felt surreal as we drove to Bryan FPC just minutes away from having to give up.
‘My worst fear and the unimaginable was about to happen: having to say goodbye to my sweet husband and precious baby Omar (he will always be my baby even though he is a senior at HS)’.
His handover to prison on February 17 came after he pleaded guilty to fraud last year, despite previously protesting his innocence for months, both on air and on social media.
She was sentenced to more than six years in prison after admitting to orchestrating a telemarketing scheme that targeted susceptible and vulnerable seniors.
Shah tricked his victims into buying bogus business mentors, before they found themselves in relentless subscription payments they couldn’t get out of.
At his sentencing hearing, prosecutors recounted how he cruelly laughed with his colleagues when some of the victims called them in tears begging for debt relief.
But after being jailed for the scam, Shah took to Instagram two weeks ago to apologize for her crime.
“I surrender to serve a sentence in federal prison today,” he wrote.
‘It’s the price I have to pay for the bad decisions I made. People got hurt by my decisions.
‘While incarcerated, I will work to make amends and reconcile with the victims of my crime.
“In time, I pray that people will judge me for how I responded to this sentence, rather than just the decisions that landed me in prison.”
Last month, Shah also took to Instagram to share his final thoughts before turning himself in to prison.
The reality TV star said she wanted to be ‘responsible’ while serving her sentence for fraud.
Shah asked to be sent to FPC Bryan, a minimum-security camp in Bryan, Texas.
The 49-year-old is one of the most bombastic characters on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
Jen, center, said she broke down on the way to prison until she could Facetime with her children.
While he was on trial, prosecutors rejected his requests for leniency, arguing that he was facing charges because he committed a ruthless fraud that swindled money from the defenseless, before trying to cash in on court proceedings.
‘For nearly a decade, the defendant was an integral leader of a far-reaching, nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that victimized thousands of innocent people. Many of those people were elderly or vulnerable,” wrote US Attorney Damian Williams.
“Many of those people suffered significant financial hardship and damage.
‘At the direction of the defendant, the victims were scammed over and over again until they had nothing left.
“She and her co-conspirators persisted in their conduct until the victims’ bank accounts were empty, their credit cards were maxed out, and there was nothing else to take.
‘Despite the defendant’s best efforts, she was caught.
He then went on a public offensive and tried to cash in on the charges by selling ‘Justice for Jen’ merchandise. She pleaded guilty at the last minute, only after receiving trial evidence from the government and witness statements.
“In light of his conduct and post-arrest demeanor, his belated expressions of remorse ring hollow.”
Speaking to her 234,000 Instagram followers, Sharrieff said it took her “so long” to reconnect with her fans because federal prisons review every piece of correspondence before it’s allowed to be released.
FPC Bryan, where she requested to be sent, is a minimum-security women’s prison about 100 miles from Houston, Texas.
“I also need you to understand that it has taken my wife some time to put pen to paper,” he added.
“At first, it was very difficult for him to capture much of his experience.”
Police seized dozens of counterfeit handbags and pieces of jewelry from Shah’s home after his arrest.
Shah’s husband, Sharrieff ‘Coach’ Shah, right, said her fans should practice ‘patience’ as she serves her time behind bars.
When Shah first entered prison on February 17, her lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, told DailyMail.com that she was “committed to serving her sentence with courage and determination.”
‘Jen Shah’s determination to make her victims whole and change their lives is unwavering.
“She is committed to serving her sentence with courage and purpose, driven by her desire to make amends for the harm she has caused and to help others in her new community.
“Nothing will stop Jen from making the most of her time in prison and she is determined to make amends to those whose lives she has impacted.”
“Her road ahead will be fraught with challenges, but with the unwavering love and support of her family and friends, Jen is prepared to face these challenges and emerge from this experience a better person who has a positive impact on others.”
