Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah is breaking her silence.
Less than a week after being arrested by federal authorities for allegedly running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme, the Bravo star took to Instagram Stories to speak out for the first time.
Over the weekend, Jen re-posted several clips of herself that both fans and fan accounts had previously shared about her legal scandal. One of the posts the Bravolebrity re-uploaded said, "This is @therealjenshah appreciation post! #FreeJenShah #ShahSquad #RideorDie... love you sis [red heart emoji]."
She responded: "I love you. Thank you to my real ones. #SHAHSQUAD [red heart emoji]."
"Thank you for believing in me," Jen wrote in another message. "Always."
Along with sharing messages of support from her followers, Jen also uploaded a side-by-side image of herself and Kim Kardashian, in which she compared her glam to the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star's past 2020 Paris Fashion Week look.
"Twinning," a caption read, along with Saweetie's song "Best Friend" playing in the background.
The photo Jen highlighted was an image she posed for during a glam session on Tuesday, March 30—which was also the same day she was arrested by authorities. At the time, the 47-year-old star was dolled up because she and her RHOSLC co-stars were getting ready to film.
A source previously told E! News that as everything was unfolding in real-time, the cameras were rolling. As the insider described things, "A crew with RHOSLC was outside the courtroom capturing it all for the show. The bulk of the crew is with the rest of the cast in Colorado."
Another source connected to the cast explained they were unaware of Jen's legal issues and learned of her scandal just as everyone else did. "The other Housewives are just finding out about this," the separate source shared. "Many of them had questions about Jen's business, but no one saw these arrests coming."
On Tuesday, March 30, the U.S. Attorney Office for the Southern District of New York announced Jen and her first assistant Stuart Smith, 43, were arrested on two charges each: conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss stated in a press release that the reality TV personality and her assistant "allegedly generated and sold 'lead lists' of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam" from 2012 until March 2021.
The Manhattan U.S. Attorney added that both of them, along with other unidentified co-conspirators, were "motivated by greed, to steal victims' money." Most of the victims were allegedly over the age of 55.
On Friday, April 2, Jen and Stuart both pleaded not guilty to the charges during a virtual arraignment. However, a judge ordered the Bravo star to put up a $1 million bond, stating, "There is a risk of flight here. It's not insubstantial. I'm going to release her on the following conditions: I am going to require a personal recognizance bond of $1 million. I am going to require $250,000 to secure that bond in cash or property."
Per the judge's orders, she has one week to comply.
Both Jen and Stuart could each face up to 50 years in prison if they are convicted.
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