Heather Gay revealed the embattled co-star Jen Shah called on friends for her legal defense fund at The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City reunion on Wednesday.
Jen, 49, was absent from the reunion after pleading guilty to wire fraud last July after previously pleading her innocence.
Heather, 40, made the reveal during the second and final reunion episode of season three, while host Andy Cohen, 54, asked for her opinion on Jen changing her plea and facing jail time.
“Will you visit her?” Andy asked.
“I mean, it depends on where she’s going,” responded Heather, who filmed the reunion before Jen was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison last month, with a request to have her at FPC Bryan’s minimum security facility to be served in Bryan, Texas.
Reunion show: Heather Gay revealed that embattled co-star Jen Shah asked friends for her legal defense fund at The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City reunion on Bravo on Wednesday
“I’ll text her if she wants that and I’ll visit Omar and Coach, I don’t know,” Heather added, referring to Jen’s son and husband Sharrieff “Coach” Shah, 52.
Andy later asked Heather for her thoughts after castmates Whitney Rose, 36, and Lisa Barlow, 48, commented on speculation that Sharrieff had prior knowledge of his wife’s illicit dealings.
“I don’t know anything about their relationship. I think it’s, you know, pulling a thread. I don’t think you could be that supportive knowing she was involved,’ Heather said.
Heather said she believed they made a financial decision for Jen to plead guilty after seeing something among the evidence that made going to court too risky.
“She said the cost of the trial was astronomical. Just to get the transcripts, it cost $2,000 a day, and the cost was overwhelming, and they asked friends for money,” Heather said.
“Got it,” Andy commented.
“And a lot of our friends gave them money,” Heather added.
“Did you give them money?” Andy asked.
Jail sentence: Jen Shah is shown leaving a federal courthouse in New York in January after being sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for running a telemarketing scheme aimed at the elderly
Back together: Meredith Marks, Heather, Andy Cohen, Whitney Rose and Lisa Barlow were back for the reunion episode but Jen was absent after pleading guilty last July
“I didn’t give them any money, but I know the people on that couch did,” Heather replied, referring to Angie Harrington, who was on the reunion show after appearing as a friend in season three .
Lisa asked how long Jen had known Angie because she thought it was a “very new relationship.”
“It is, but I think they knew the Harringtons had money and Chris didn’t hesitate to help where he could,” Heather said, referring to Angie’s husband Chris, who has a fake Instagram account called ” @shahxposed” created.
Gave money: “I didn’t give them any money, but I know the people on this couch did,” Heather replied, referring to Angie Harrington, who was on the reunion show after appearing in season three as girlfriend had appeared
Lisa said they also asked her and her husband John for money.
“I didn’t do it because our attorney said we probably shouldn’t,” Lisa said. ‘Otherwise I would have done it, I was ready for it.’
‘No. I can’t do that to my family,” Heather said softly.
Also Asked: Lisa said the Shahs also asked her and her husband John for money
Heather also said she will continue to support Jen.
“She said she committed fraud and she’s going to jail and she’s making $15 million in compensation and I think being mean to her or being mad at her is just a signal of virtue to the world and isn’t doing anyone any good,” she said heather
“And I’m so far away with her, I’m not going to drop her now,” she added.
Continued Support: Heather also said she will continue to support Jen
Meredith Marks, 51, also said she supports Jen.
“Sorry, innocent, in between, I’ll always fire for the underdog,” Meredith said.
She also shared that she was cautious about her comments about Jen after learning from a “very reliable source that Jen had made an attempt on her life.”
Underdog supporter: “Sorry, innocent, in between, I’ll always fire for the underdog,” Meredith said
Andy asked if Jen had ever shown any reaction to her telemarketing scam scheme targeting the elderly, and everyone said no.
“Well, I was quoted in an article and she wrote me and said, ‘Tell me who my victims are, b****,'” Lisa claimed, although there was no profanity in the text shown on screen.
Heather and Whitney also spoke about their friendship, which was cut short during season three, but couldn’t make amends.
Zero Victims: “Well, I was quoted in an article and she texted me and said, ‘Tell me who my victims are, b****,'” Lisa claimed, although the text shown on screen didn’t contain any profanity contain
The wives were joined by their husbands throughout the episode, with John Barlow, Seth Marks and Justin Rose sitting on the couch alongside their wives.
Justin stated that he could mediate peace between Seth and John after their wives fell out.
“I can get Meredith and Lisa back together, too,” Justin said.
The women and Andy enjoyed a champagne toast together as the reunion ended.
Jen is scheduled to report to jail on February 17th.
Husbands Joined: The wives were joined by their husbands throughout the episode, with John Barlow, Seth Marks and Justin Rose sitting next to their wives on the couch
Bold Statement: “I can get Meredith and Lisa back together too,” Justin said