Disgraced former Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah’s money troubles continue to follow her despite being behind bars.
Jen’s former legal team and her attorney, Priyah Chaudhry, issued a motion to withdraw their firm as counsel two weeks ago and reported to Judge Sidney Stein, who presided over Jen’s telemarketing fraud scheme, claiming the reality star owes them $50,000 in unpaid legal fees and $74,422.95 in unpaid expenses, per The Daily Mail. The grand total comes to $124,422.95.
It remains unclear as to how Jen is going to be able to pay back her former counsel as her rep issued a statement last month stating that Jen had already begun the process of making restitution to the victims — mainly the elderly, who she preyed on.
“I have spoken with my client Jen Shah over the phone this week — she is doing well and remains committed towards making her victims whole,” a rep for Jen stated to PEOPLE. “She has initiated her payments towards restitution, and we hope to have her home as soon as possible so that she may resume life with her family and work, putting this chapter of her life behind her.”
A chapter that Jen hasn’t closed the door on yet is her beloved Housewives status. Reportedly, Jen is hard at work creating a play with her fellow inmates, unironically titled, “The Real Housewives of Bryan,” based upon their lives inside Federal Prison Camp Bryan, TX.
Jen’s manager, Chris Giovanni, recently told TMZ that the theater production is still in the “early stages” as Jen is mentoring and teaching some of her new cast how to read and write. He says the play and script will be in the same vein as the Housewives franchise, but with the personalities “cranked up to 11.”
Jen’s creative side seems to have been spurred by her work duties as Chris stated that Jen’s been passing the time while serving her reduced 5.5-year sentence by working in the library and the prison’s educational department. Jen’s Muslim faith is also serving her well as it’s currently Ramadan, and according to Chris, she and five other women are fasting, adding that Jen’s lost about 15 pounds since reporting to prison two months ago.
No word if Jen has plans to create a reunion play to coincide with her faux franchise, but knowing Jen, it’s not out of the question. Maybe she can get a prison guard to play Andy Cohen?
You know what they say, you can take the girl out of the Housewives, but you can’t take the… well, you get it.
