‘Real Housewives’ Star Jen Shah Using Insanity Plea To Get Out of 6.5 Year Prison Sentence Following Multi-Million Dollar Wire Fraud Case?
Money laundering conspiracies and wire fraud cases are common internet crimes throughout the world. Several companies and individuals are a part of this wire crime system. Wire fraud attempts increased by nearly 68% over the years, however, things become huge and draw attention when it’s a matter of billions of dollars or famous personalities are involved. In 2021, there was a wire fraud conspiracy reported which was evidently committed by Jen Shah, the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star.
Jen Shah was arrested in 2021 for conspiring to commit wire fraud and was later sentenced to 6.5 years in jail, on pleading guilty in June 2022. The star is currently reporting her requirement for participating in a mental health treatment program.
Jen Shah’s insanity plea in multi-million dollar wire fraud case
The concept of the insanity defense in the US can be traced back to 1859, when Congressman Daniel Sickles of New York first used it to get out of prison sentence after killing his wife’s lover. No matter how vague or definite the law might be, it has been used several times by common people as well as famous personalities to either reduce their prison sentence or get out of it.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star, Jen Shah seems to be using her insanity plea to get out of her 6.5 years of a prison sentence. The actress claims to have a history of depression and mental illness which drove her to conspire to commit wire fraud.
The life of celebrities, personalities, and billionaires are filled with hardship, and stress, which makes them fall prey to numerous crimes at times. Jen Shah similarly claimed to be a victim of mental health issues and stated, “With the proper medication I can now see what happened.”
The legitimacy of Jen Shah’s insanity plea
There have been numerous instances where celebrities and personalities have used their insanity defense against their prison sentence. The famous case of Steven Steinberg was considered a case of homicidal somnambulism in the US court. The man murdered his wife and used his insanity plea to walk away as a free man. The movie IT based on the actual case of the killer clown who was a prolific serial killer, evidently got out of his prison sentence by using his insanity defense.
However, there are some cases in US legal history where personalities tried using their insanity plea but were not granted. O.J. Simpson, the former National Football League (NFL) player murdered his wife and tried using his insanity plea, however, was not granted.
Seeking an insanity plea can be a legit defensive statement in the case of Jen Shah, unlike others. Although the actress got her prison sentence of 6.5 years, there are still chances of her getting out of it, with her insanity plea.
Source: TMZ
