The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah is no longer speaking to her former "assistant" Stuart Smith. Smith had been featured in several episodes of the franchise prior to both him and Shah being arrested and charged in March 2021 with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and obstructing an official proceeding. Initially, the two appeared to be a united front and both plead not guilty, but as the situation progressed, Smith changed his plea to guilty in November.
Though Shah is now distancing herself from her former associate (who she often referred to as her business partner on the show) she claims that she is innocent and is prepared to fight the charges. On part three of the RHOSLC reunion show, Bravo producer Andy Cohen suggested that some people considered Smith's turnabout, "as being very bad," for her case but Shah declined to address Cohen's comment for legal reasons.
E! reports that Shah, who has known Smith for ten years and was occasionally seen being chauffeured around town by him, is no longer speaking with him in light of his plea change. She noted that they were very close, "and then to be told one day that you can't talk to him anymore, that's hard." On the other hand, she claims that, "Stuart wasn't around me every day which is why I had a lot of other assistants, because he was doing his own stuff."
The reality star is being tried by the Southern District in New York, which has a high conviction rate, but Shah says, "I will fight because number one, I'm innocent, and number two I'm going to f--king represent every other person out there that can't fight and hasn't been able to." She also claims that, "We didn't work together in the businesses that were being discussed." Shah's husband, football coach Sharrieff Shah, has been very supportive of his wife and Shah's mom has liquidated her own retirement in order to give her daughter one million dollars to help pay legal fees.
Though she is receiving support from her immediate family, who obviously believes in her innocence, it may not be enough to beat the extremely serious charges she's facing — and Smith taking the plea deal seems like it may not bode well for Shah — especially if he decides to testify against her. The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City appears to be attempting to separate herself from Smith when it comes to her business, but the way their relationship was portrayed by Jen herself made them seem like they were very connected both personally and professionally. Only time will tell what Shah's future holds.
Source: E!
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