Jen Shah’s Motion To Dismiss Fraud Indictment Rejected By Judge

Jen Shah has lost her latest battle in her criminal fraud case. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star had attempted to have the judge throw the case out without going to trial. On Friday, December 10, that motion was vehemently denied.

In the order, obtained by People, the judge said that dismissing entire indictments is extreme. The practice is only used in rare cases. Shah’s attorneys sought to have the case thrown out because a recent Hulu documentary about the case would make it impossible to receive a fair trial.

“Dismissal of an indictment is an extreme sanction that is to be utilized only in the rare case… there has been no evidence whatsoever proffered to suggest that Shah’s right to a fair trial has been compromised or prejudiced in any respect.

An appropriate voir dire of potential jurors will be able to determine if the jury pool has been tainted in any way by [the documentary].”

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Shah was arrested in March and charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The case is connected to a telemarketing scam that targeted older people. Shah and assistant Stuart Smith initially pleaded not guilty. Smith changed to a guilty plea in November.

Jen Shah maintains her innocence in the case. Now, she’ll get her chance to prove it. Judge Sidney Stein is not interested in throwing the indictment out on a technicality, and Jen will be expected to stand trial on the charges.

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