“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jennifer Shah and Stuart Smith, of Lehi, Utah, both appeared in court Thursday after being arrested earlier this week, according to The Associated Press.
- The two were arrested in Utah on fraud charges in New York.
- According to the Deseret News, Shah was arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The two charges can carry up to 30 years and 20 years in prison sentences, respectively.
Per The Associated Press, Shah and Smith received several conditions in order to be released, which includes barring them from speaking to each other.
- Smith and Shah also can’t travel outside of Utah unless they’re heading to New York for a court appearance, according to The Associated Press.
- “The prosecution also asked that Shah and Smith not spend more than $10,000 from personal or company accounts, except to pay for legal fees,” per The Associated Press.
Per the Deseret News, a federal judge set Shah’s bail at $1 million Friday, pending trial in the federal fraud case against her.
Shah’s lawyer didn’t argue against the $1 million bond but took issue with the $250,000 to secure it.
They told the judge Shah is not a flight risk and that her passport, which the government seized during a search of her home, has expired. Her family is renting a house and doesn’t own any other real property, they said. The lawyers said Shah could not flee anywhere and not be known because of her role on the ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.’
‘Real Housewives’ was filming during the arrest
According to Variety, an unnamed source told the Instagram page @twojudgeygirls that “Real Housewives” was filming its second season ahead of a trip to Colorado when Shah was arrested. According to Variety, Shah said she had an emergency with her husband and she left the set.
- “This could mean that Shah’s arrest could have been captured on camera and might be seen in the show,” according to Insider.