Heather Gay is revealing whether she plans on meeting up with Jen Shah following her prison release.
“So Salt Lake is small, but we’ve been able to avoid people in Salt Lake that we haven’t wanted to see, me personally and other people,” Heather, 51, said during a Friday, December 12, appearance on the “Scheananigans with Scheana Shay” podcast. “So I don’t think we’ll cross paths.”
Jen was released from the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, on December 10 after serving fewer than three years of her six-and-a-half-year sentence.
She and her then-assistant Stuart Smith were arrested in March 2021 for their role in a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that involved multiple victims over the age of 55. At the time, Jen denied her involvement and pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
She ultimately pleaded guilty one year later. “In 2012 to March 2021 in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere I agreed with others to commit wire fraud,” Shah said in a statement at the time. “I knew this was wrong. I knew many people were harmed and I’m so sorry.” Us Weekly confirmed in January 2023 that Shah was sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
“Everyone’s very grateful for the BOP’s decision, especially because it means Jen will be able to reunite with her family for the holidays,” Shah’s manager, Chris Giovanni, told People in a statement after it was announced Jen’s sentence would be reduced. “It’s a gift she doesn’t take for granted.”
“She’s done a lot of reflecting and real growth during her time away and is genuinely not the same woman as she was before. Her focus is on her family and building a healthier, more grounded life,” the statement continued. “She understands the seriousness of the mistakes she made and is excited to put this chapter behind her so that she can show everyone the woman she’s worked hard to become.”
Problems between Jen and Heather have been brewing since at least January 24, when Heather claimed Jen was the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City costar who gave her a black eye while the show was filming. Heather made the accusation during the season 4 finale of the reality series.
While confronting Monica Garcia over her alleged involvement in the Instagram account Reality Von Tease, Heather compared her costar to Jen. “I went on book tour and defended her and took s**t for the fact that she gave me a black eye,” Heather explained.
While the rest of the group appeared surprised and confused, she added, “I had to ride hard for [Jen] and I had to lie for her. We’re not going to do it again with you,” before she told Monica to leave.
Jen addressed the allegation via her Instagram Story on January 3.
“BRAVO, if I punched Heather in her eye, you guys would have footage to prove it,” she wrote per People. “It’s clear the show can’t live without me since I was brought up at the beginning, middle and end of season 4.”
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