Cannabis leaf. (Photo by: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via AP Images)
One of disgraced reality TV star Jen Shah’s convicted co-conspirators in a vast telemarketing scheme received a federal judge’s permission to adjust his bail in order to travel to Las Vegas for a conference where he can learn how to market his CBD business.
Earlier this month, ex-Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast member Shah received a 6.5-year sentence for being what prosecutors called the “integral leader” of a telemarketing fraud that bilked the vulnerable and the elderly. The scheme marketed coaching services for online business opportunities, which Shah acknowledged at her guilty plea proceedings had “little or no value.”
Jen Shah leaving court (Law&Crime screen shot)
As one of Shah’s nine co-defendants, Shane Harris pleaded guilty in mid-December to several counts against him and is awaiting sentencing on Feb. 13.
Until that time, Harris plans to spend some time in Sin City.
According to a letter from his attorney Richard Rosenberg, Harris hopes to find some professional development opportunities there later this month.
“I write today to request a modification of Mr. Hanna’s bail conditions so as to allow him to attend a marketing conference in connection with his CBD business that is being held in Las Vegas, Nevada from January 23 to January 25, 2023,” Rosenberg wrote in a letter filed Wednesday.
A resident of Phoenix, Arizona, Hanna is currently out of jail on a $250,000 bond and remains under the supervision of Pretrial Services in the District of Arizona.
“The conference is called Affiliate Summit West and will feature 100 speakers, workshops and networking opportunities,” the letter states.
Hanna plans to drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas on Jan. 22, 2023, and return home three days later.
While in Las Vegas, Hanna says he plans to stay with his brother-in-law, who is a Sin City resident.
Senior U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein signed the proposal the same day, without comment.
In his last, admittedly fraudulent business, Hanna falsely told victims that they had “qualified for a government grant, often in connection with starting a small business,” prosecutors say.
While the victims waited for the grant money to pour in, prosecutors say, Hanna advised them to buy business services as a way to earn money during the waiting period.
“In truth and in fact, no such government grants existed,” his indictment stated.
Shah wasn’t the only Real Housewives cast member charged in the scheme. Her “first assistant” on the show, Stuart Smith, was also charged and convicted in the same scheme.
During Shah’s sentencing hearing, the judge took a shot at the popular TV format that lent them both a degree of fame.
“The character your client plays on Real Housewives is simply a character,” Stein told Shah’s attorney Priya Chaudhry on Jan. 6.
“People shouldn’t confuse your client with the character she plays,” Stein added later. “One is acting, and one is — reality,” adding a pause before the final word for dramatic effect.
Read the letter request, granted with the judge’s order and signature, below: