NEED TO KNOW
Jen Shah’s prison sentence has been reduced multiple times due to good behavior and participation in prison programs
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City alum will now be released on Dec. 10, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal
Shah has begun making restitution payments and expressed remorse for her role in the telemarketing scheme
Jen Shah will be released from federal custody earlier than expected.
PEOPLE can reveal exclusively the Federal Bureau of Prisons has approved a Dec. 10 departure date for the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City alum. The decision marks the latest reduction to the six-and-a-half year sentence she’s been serving since February 2023 for her role in a long-running nationwide telemarketing scheme.
“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, tells PEOPLE. “It’s a gift she doesn’t take for granted.”
“Jen’s in a really positive, hopeful place mentally,” he adds. “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. 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.”
A representative for the Federal Bureau of Prisons tells PEOPLE, “For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss any incarcerated individual’s conditions of confinement or specific release plans.”
Chad Kirkland/Bravo
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Shah, 52, has been serving at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas — a minimum-security facility that also houses prominent inmates including Elizabeth Holmes and Ghislaine Maxwell.
She reported on Feb. 17, 2023, after pleading guilty in July 2022 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme that targeted thousands of victims, including the elderly.
“I am sorry. My actions have hurt innocent people,” said Shah at her sentencing. “I want to apologize by saying, I am doing all I can to earn the funds to pay restitution.”
Since her surrender, Shah’s sentence has been reduced multiple times. The BOP attributed those reductions to good behavior, participation in prison programming and financial payments she has begun making to victims (in total, Shah has been ordered to pay $6.5 million in restitution).
Her time was cut by one year in March 2023, by an additional eight months in October 2024 and again in January, when her projected release moved to Nov. 3, 2026. A fourth reduction came in August, moving her departure to Aug. 30, 2026.
Where Shah will go on Dec. 10 remains unclear. Under BOP policy, she may be released to her home or transferred to a halfway house to complete the remaining portion of her sentence under supervision. A final decision will be made prior to her departure.
Jen Shah/Instagram
Throughout her time behind bards, Jen’s husband — University of Utah football coach Sharrieff “Coach” Shah — has steadily stood by his wife’s side.
In August, Jen marked a major family milestone, celebrating her 31st wedding anniversary in a social media post to her account. It came with a photo of the pair during snapped during a visit Sharrieff made to the facility.
“Happy 31st Anniversary today to me and my baby!” she wrote in her caption, later thanking him for “blessing” her with their “two amazing young men” — sons Sharrieff Jr, 31, and Omar, 22.
“Words cannot express how much I love and appreciate you. You bring so much joy to my life & I am forever thankful for your overwhelming love and support as we approach this next chapter,” she said. “I love you so much & can’t wait to hold you again soon 💕.”
In February 2024, Jen penned a personal letter to PEOPLE reflecting on the first year of her sentence. In the note, Shah described the “unrelenting” pain of her first year away from her family, but said she had found humility and perspective in the stories of other women at FPC Bryan. She wrote that her faith, daily prayer and therapy had helped her fight despair and stay grounded through the challenges of incarceration.
“I am most grateful for the aspects of my life that have never left me: my family and faith,” she wrote, adding, “In my daily prayers, I ask God for the courage to realize I am worthy of a second chance… I am finding the courage to set my fear and guilt aside.”
