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Meredith Marks unlike her friends was not surprised when Jen Shah was arrested on Sunday’s episode of The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City on Bravo.
The 49-year-old reality star was completely unfazed when she first heard the news and also was chill about it moments later during a relaxing bubble bath.
Meredith was already in Vail, Colorado, where she was hosting a girls group trip when Lisa Barlow, 46, called from the limousine bus to ask if she already had heard the news.
Not surprised: Meredith Marks unlike her friends was not surprised when Jen Shah was arrested on Sunday’s episode of The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City on Bravo
‘I haven’t been on my phone. I was rushing to get myself here and get situated before you guys all arrived. What’s going on?,’ Meredith said.
‘Meredith, it is bad,’ Lisa said as they told her that federal agents arrived to arrest Jen, 47.
‘Meredith, she’s been arrest for fraud,’ said Whitney Rose, 35.
‘Honestly, I’m not surprised by this,’ Meredith said.
Facing charges: Jen Shah was briefly shown after she was released from custody
‘You’re not?,’ Lisa said.
‘No, I’m not,’ she said.
‘Why are you not surprised, Meredith? Do you know something? Did she tell you something?,’ asked show newcomer Jennie Nguyen, 45.
Being honest: ‘Honestly, I’m not surprised by this,’ Meredith said
‘Too many things didn’t add up and I have suspected that something was going on for a while,’ Meredith said.
She said the charges ‘validated’ that she was right.
‘The good news is while everything else is falling apart around us, we do have a beautiful house here. Love you guys. See you soon. Mwah!,’ Meredith said.
Good news: ‘The good news is while everything else is falling apart around us, we do have a beautiful house here. Love you guys. See you soon. Mwah!,’ Meredith said
Lisa said she felt like she didn’t really know Jen.
‘I feel like I kind of did but that not everyone wanted to listen or believe me,” Meredith said.
Lisa said in a confessional later that she thought it was weird that Meredith didn’t even appear to be fazed by the news.
So weird: Lisa Barlow said in a confessional later that she thought it was weird that Meredith didn’t even appear to be fazed by the news
As they embarked on their trip without Jen, Whitney was trying to put together what was going on when an alert about Jen’s arrest popped up on her phone.
‘Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Real Housewives star charged with massive fraud money laundering scheme,’ Whitney read out loud.
Heather Gay, 47, and Lisa Barlow then started reading the news reports on their phone. Jen was arrested later that day and charged along with her assistant Stuart Smith, 43, with running an alleged telemarketing conspiracy fraud scheme, according to the US Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The headlines: ‘Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Real Housewives star charged with massive fraud money laundering scheme,’ Whitney Rose read out loud
Whitney said she had the chills as she told them that not only was Jen arrested, but that she was also in custody.
Lisa started crying and said, ‘I honestly feel so bad for them.’
Heather also started crying and said in a confessional that she was ‘devastated.’
Felt bad: Lisa started crying and said, ‘I honestly feel so bad for them’
‘She’s going to prison,’ Whitney said.
‘Of course I knew that Jen’s business was high pressure, cut-throat sales at all cost business, but I didn’t know it was illegal. I just thought it was unsavory,’ Heather said in a confessional.
Whitney then read the information regarding Jen’s charges from the Department of Justice that said that Jen allegedly ‘built their opulent lifestyle at the expense of vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people’.
High pressure: ‘Of course I knew that Jen’s business was high pressure, cut-throat sales at all cost business, but I didn’t know it was illegal. I just thought it was unsavory,’ Heather said in a confessional
In addition to the arrest, Jennie said she wouldn’t be surprised if they also raided Jen’s house and took everything.
And while the women were on the bus to Vail at 1:20pm, a news helicopter was circling above Jen’s house as a team of heavily armed police arrived and executed a search warrant on her residence.
Jen’s sons Sharrieff Jr, 26, and Omar, 16, exited the house with their arms up as the house was swarmed by federal agents.
Arms up: Jen’s sons Sharrieff Jr, 26, and Omar, 16, exited the house with their arms up as the house was swarmed by federal agents
When the season two episode started, Lisa, Whitney and Heather were still reeling from the police descending on the parking lot carrying handcuffs looking for Jen.
Jen had left suddenly moments before they arrived. When producers told the police that Jen just left, the police asked for the make and color of the truck.
Heather wondered if she should call Jen, but the others told her to hold off.
‘What if she is on the run?’ said Heather. ‘Like give her a head start. I would want her to call me.’
Head start: ‘What if she is on the run?’ said Heather. ‘Like give her a head start. I would want her to call me’
Whitney immediately called her husband Justin to tell him what was happening. She said that police showed up and that she didn’t think Jen’s husband Sharrieff Sr. was in the hospital.
‘You think she got a tip off that this was happening and left?,’ asked Heather.
‘Yeah,’ Whitney said.
Good question: ‘You think she got a tip off that this was happening and left?,’ asked Heather
Heather tried to call Jen but she didn’t answer so she sent her a text message that read ‘Cops just showed up at Beauty Lab and said they just need to talk to you to make sure you’re okay.’
Lisa also called her husband John and said ”the SWAT team just showed up for Jen.”
Heather said in a confessional that none of it made sense. She said she was still trying to process that Sharrieff was going to die but now the feds were looking for Jen.
‘This must be a huge mistake,’ Heather said.
Lisa then decided to call her attorney to see if he could find out what was going on. Heather said the cops kept saying they wanted to see if Jen was okay, but Whitney said that just might be a tactic.
Multiple lawyers: Lisa talked to multiple lawyers
Jennie said this news shouldn’t stress them out because it doesn’t have anything to do with them and she thought they should just go on their trip.
They then went through Jen’s snacks.
‘I mean let the body get cold first, ‘ said Heather. ‘The woman just had to evade arrest don’t go through her personal items.’
‘I don’t think she’s coming back for these,’ said Lisa as she opened up Jen’s bag of mint Lifesavers.
Moving on: Jennie Nguyen said this news shouldn’t stress them out because it doesn’t have anything to do with them and she thought they should just go on their trip
‘This feels like we are pillaging the grave,’ said Heather but then accepted when Jennie gave her Jen’s lollipops. ‘Oh I love a good lolly. That I’m in on. You got me with the lolly.’
The driver then closed the door and women were off to Vail. On the bus, Lisa and Heather wondered how the police would even know that Jen was going to be in the parking lot at that time in the morning.
‘Someone told them,’ said Whitney.
Lisa said in a confessional that other than their families that there were seven people that knew they were meeting at Beauty Lab.
Whitney said it makes sense that the NYPD showed up because New York was Jen’s headquarters. Lisa said that Jen was always ambitious when she spoke about business.
Heather said she had a podcast with her for an hour and still didn’t get what she does.
Whitney said in a confessional that she was always really curious about Jen because the things she buys and the lifestyle she lives didn’t really add up.
Luxurious lifestyle: Whitney said in a confessional that she was always really curious about Jen because the things she buys and the lifestyle she lives didn’t really add up
‘Where does she get all her money and all of her things from?,’ Whitney asked the other women on the bus.
Whitney pointed out in a confessional that she spent $80,000 on Meredith’s birthday and threw out $100 bills on the party bus.
‘Our friend is in a lot of trouble it seems and I hope she is okay,’ Whitney said.
By 3:16 p.m. that day there was video of Jen leaving the courthouse with reporters asking her about the charges against her of allegedly defrauding the elderly. She walked to the car and didn’t answer any of the questions from the media.
Elderly fraud: By 3:16pm that day there was video of Jen leaving the courthouse with reporters asking her about the charges against her of allegedly defrauding the elderly
On the bus, Whitney asked if it was in the Bible that money is the root of all evil.
Meredith was the first to arrive at the vacation rental home as she had traveled there separately. It was a 10,000 square foot, eight bedroom home. The home also came with its own experience curator to provide tailored experiences.
At the house in Vail, Mary Cosby, 49, was the second one to arrive. Meredith was taking a bubble bath and Mary said in a confessional that she didn’t feel that was proper etiquette. Meredith filled Mary in on what happened with Jen.
‘I’m speechless,’ said Mary. ‘Why did we not have an inkling?’
Bath time: At the house in Vail, Mary Cosby, 49, was the second one to arrive and found Meredith taking a bath
‘I was not surprised,” Meredith told her.
‘I’m blown away,” said Mary.
Meredith told her the allegations against her were basically fraud and money laundering. Meredith said her family and business had been terrorized for two years by ‘this woman and I just waited quietly because I don’t point my fingers when I don’t have the facts.’
Blown away: ‘I’m blown away,” said Mary of the charges against Jen
‘And you know what? This now suddenly adds up,’ said Meredith. ‘Do I still say she might be innocent, sure, fine of course it’s possible. Do I believe it?’
The women pulled up at the house and Heather walked in and said, ‘It’s the feds’.
‘It’s too soon,’ Whitney groaned.
The women picked their rooms and then called their husbands to fill them in on their eventful day.
Mary said in a confessional that she forgot that Jennie was even going to be here, but that she didn’t want to be bothered. Mary told Lisa she was blown away when she heard about Jen’s arrest.
Not bothered: Mary said in a confessional that she forgot that Jennie was even going to be here, but that she didn’t want to be bothered
It was 8:40 pm and the women sat down for dinner and Meredith asked them what they all thought. Lisa said it was ‘surreal.’
Whitney said she heard that the authorities had a ping on her location and arrested her on the side of the road.
Heather said she thought she left to turn herself in but Whitney said she was running.
‘She definitely fled the scene for sure,’ Mary said.
Dinner time: It was 8:40 pm and the women sat down for dinner and Meredith asked them what they all thought. Lisa said it was ‘surreal’
‘How humiliating and degrading,’ said Heather in a confessional. ‘What has she done? What has she done that would make that necessary?’
‘I never saw nothing good in her,” Mary said.
Meredith said she had an issue with her that she never mentioned. She told the women that she was in New York in late September with her family and had eight missed calls from Jen.
She said she called her back and Jen told her how she was trying to get into her store but that it was closed but that her manager opened the door for her.
Not good: ‘I never saw nothing good in her,” Mary said of Jen
Meredith said that after Jen left that her manager called her and told her that Jen spent a few hundred dollars.
Her manager, however, said that there was a green clutch that one of Jen’s friends was holding that went missing.
Meredith said she sent a text asking if she borrowed the green bag and her manager got a call and someone brought it back the next day.
In a confessional, Meredith said that Jen did not take the bag but that the problem was she kept someone in her employment who did.
Bag story: In a confessional, Meredith said that Jen did not take the bag but that the problem was she kept someone in her employment who did
Meredith said also one of her friends told her that Jen is red flagged in the Louis Vuitton system because she pays in cash but that she didn’t know if that was true.
Lisa said in a confessional that ‘being red flagged at Louis Vuitton would be far worse than the feds knocking on my door.’
Heather then mentioned that she thought it was really strange how she put Jen in an Uber the other night and then Jen got out a half mile later. Lisa wanted to know what night that happened and the other women wanted to know what she knew.
‘None of us are safe unless we know the facts,’ said Whitney. ‘We have all been lied to. We have all been attacked. If we do not share what we know we are in danger.’
The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City will return next Sunday on Bravo.
Not safe; ‘None of us are safe unless we know the facts,’ said Whitney. ‘We have all been lied to. We have all been attacked. If we do not share what we know we are in danger’
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