The Bravo host opened up more on his SiriusXM show about the legal trouble the 'RHOSLC' star finds herself in.
Just two days after saying he doesn't "know how to feel" about Jen Shah pleading guilty to charges stemming from her alleged involvement in a money-laundering scheme, Andy Cohen is opening up more about the ordeal, and he's furious.
The Bravo network executive and Watch What Happens Live host revealed exactly how he feels during his SiriusXM show Radio Andy on Wednesday, saying he's upset for the victims and at Shah for straight-up lying.
"I'm upset and I'm especially upset for her victims," Cohen revealed. "I'm upset that she lied for so long and claimed to me that she was an example of someone being wrongly accused. If you remember sitting there at that reunion and she was so dogmatic about it, that I felt, 'OK. You know, let this woman have her day in court.' I'm extremely upset about what she did. I'm also upset because, frankly, you get to know someone and you get to like them, you know, when you get to have a personal relationship and you work with someone, you get to like them, you wanna cheer them on and you hate to think that they're capable of this behavior."
Cohen's expanded comments come just two days after going on his SiriusXM show and saying, "I don't know how to feel about this Jen Shah pleading guilty." He said he couldn't reconcile how Shah can appear giving and thoughtful -- after she surprised his 2-month-old daughter, Lucy, with a present -- but also be, as the feds have stated, a key participant in a scheme to defraud elderly, vulnerable victims.
"And I was like, 'Jen Shah, with everything you have going on, that you thought to send Lucy a gift,'" Cohen said. "I just thought that was so nice of her."
During his Wednesday show, Cohen addressed his initial reaction to Shah's legal troubles.
"When we were on the air on Monday, the news about Jen Shah pleading guilty broke. I did not have time to read anything about it, process it, we were on the air and I really didn't have time to react, process it; I left here, I read everything, I read her, what I thought was a pretty stunning confession of, confessing to all of the charges, and I had time to process it," Cohen explained. "Now, yesterday comes out all these articles, 'Andy Cohen responds to this' and I'm like, ‘I didn't respond to it.’ I didn't really say anything."
Cohen said that his "non-response" on Monday was more him digesting the news in real time, but it's crystal clear how he feels about the whole thing.
Shah appeared in Manhattan federal court and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing. The second count, conspiracy to commit money laundering, was dropped. Judge Sidney Stein warned Shah that she now faces up to 30 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York said following the hearing, “Jennifer Shah was a key participant in a nationwide scheme that targeted elderly, vulnerable victims. These victims were sold false promises of financial security but instead, Shah and her co-conspirators defrauded them out of their savings and left them with nothing to show for it. This Office is committed to rooting out these schemes whatever form they take.”
Shah and her assistant, Stuart Smith, were arrested back in March. The following month, Shah pled not guilty but has since made an about-face. Along with her guilty plea, Shah agreed to forfeit $6.5 million and pay restitution of up to $9.5 million.
In a statement through her lawyer, Shan accepted responsibility for the alleged crime and said she "deeply apologizes" to the victims.
"Ms. Shah is a good woman who crossed a line,” the statement to ET from her attorney, Priya Chaudhry, read. “She accepts full responsibility for her actions and deeply apologizes to all who have been harmed. Ms. Shah is also sorry for disappointing her husband, children, family, friends, and supporters. Jen pled guilty because she wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family."
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