Paulina Ben-Cohen is speaking out after her fiancé, Shahs of Sunset star Mike Shouhed, was recently arrested and booked on a felony charge.
In an April 14 statement issued to E! News on Ben-Cohen's behalf, her lawyer Joshua Ritter said, "We are working with the authorities to seek a just and fair outcome to this sad situation. The family appreciates your space and respect for their privacy during this time."
Shouhed was taken into custody on March 27 and charged around 1:05 a.m. the following day, according to records for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. Hours later, he paid his $50,000 bond and was released. A specific charge wasn't listed on Shouhed's booking sheet, but in a statement to E! News on April 4, Shouhed's attorney Alex Kessel denied allegations pertaining to domestic violence: "At this time, the only comment I can make with confidence is my client in no way committed any act of domestic violence and the truth will prevail."
Shouhed's court date is currently set for July 25.
He and Ben-Cohen announced their engagement last summer during Shahs of Sunset's season nine reunion. She has two children from her previous marriage, and according to Shouhed, he asked her son for permission to marry her before popping the question. At the time, they had been dating for several years and were living together in the Los Angeles home they purchased in May 2021.
The engagement came after a particularly difficult season of Shahs for the couple, as Shouhed's storyline mostly revolved around a sexting scandal. Ben-Cohen had found NSFW texts with another woman on his phone, and though on the show Shouhed initially claimed the messages were fake and denied any wrongdoing, he eventually owned up to them.
By the time the reunion came, all appeared to be well. Ben-Cohen said of Shouhed, "The love and the connection that we have with each other, like, I would not be able to live a day without him in my life."
Ben-Cohen isn't the only Shahs star who's addressed Shouhed's arrest, though. Mercedes "MJ" Javid weighed in during the April 11 episode of Jeff Lewis' Sirius XM show after the host said, "I strongly believe people are innocent until proven guilty."
"Same here," Javid responded.
Javid continued, "I've never, ever, ever seen him violent and I've never seen him be angry. I was shocked because I think that unless I was literally in the room, a witness to it, I'm with you: 'innocent until proven guilty.'"
She and Shouhed have both been recurring cast members on Shahs of Sunset since it premiered in 2012; though the Bravo series is currently on "indefinite pause," a source told E! News on April 7.
Page Six was the first to report Shouhed's arrest.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)