Heather Gay revealed that embattled co-star solicited friends for her legal defense fund on Wednesday’s reunion of The .
Jen, 49, was absent from the reunion after she last July after previously maintaining her innocence.
Heather, 40, during the second and final season three reunion episode made the revelation while host , 54, asked for her thoughts on Jen changing her plea and facing prison time.
‘Will you visit her?,’ Andy asked.
‘I mean, it depends on where she goes,’ replied Heather, who filmed the reunion before Jen was sentenced last month to a 6 1/2 year prison sentence with a request for it to be served at the FPC Bryan minimum-security facility in Bryan, Texas.
Reunion show: Heather Gay revealed that embattled co-star Jen Shah solicited friends for her legal defense fund on Wednesday’s reunion of The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City on Bravo
‘I will write her if she wants that and I will look in on Omar and Coach, I don’t know,’ Heather added, referencing 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 business dealings.
‘I don’t know the first thing about their relationship.I think it’s, you know, pulling on a thread. I don’t think you could be so supportive if you knew she was implicated,’ Heather said.
Heather said that she believed they made a financial decision for Jen to plead guilty after seeing something among the evidence that made it too risky to go to trial.
‘She said the cost of the trial was astronomical.Just to get the transcripts was $2,000 a day and that the cost was over-whelming, and they solicited 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.
Prison sentence: Jen Shah is shown in January leaving a federal court in New York after being sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for running a telemarketing scheme targeting the elderly
Together again: 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 did not give them money, but I know people on this couch did,’ Heather replied referencing Angie Harrington who had been on the reunion show after appearing in a friend capacity on season three.
Lisa asked how long Jen knew Angie because she thought it was a ‘very new relationship.’
‘It is, but I think that they knew that the Harringtons had money, and Chris didn’t hesitate to help as he could,’ Heather said, referencing Angie’s husband Chris who had created a fake Instagram account called ‘@shahxposed’.
Gave money: ‘I did not give them money, but I know people on this couch did,’ Heather replied referencing Angie Harrington who had been on the reunion show after appearing in a friend capacity on season three
Lisa said they also asked her and her husband John for money.
‘I didn’t because our counsel said we probably shouldn’t,’ Lisa said.’Otherwise I would have, I was ready to.’
‘No. I can’t do that to my family,’ Heather said in a low voice.
Also asked: Lisa said the Shahs also asked her and her husband John for money
Heather also said she would continue to support Jen.
‘She said she committed fraud and she’s going to prison and she’s making $15 million restitution and I think me being mean to her or mad at her is just a virtue signal to the world and doesn’t do anybody good,’ Heather said.
‘And I’m this far down the road with her, I’m not going to drop her now,’ she added.
Continued support: Heather also said she would continue to support Jen
Meredith Marks, 51, also said she was supporting Jen.
‘Guilty, innocent, in between, I will always root for the underdog,’ Meredith said.
She also shared that she was being restrained with her comments about Jen after learning from a ‘very reliable source that Jen had made an attempt on her life.’
Underdog supporter: ‘Guilty, innocent, in between, I will always root for the underdog,’ Meredith said
Andy asked if Jen ever showed any response for her telemarketing fraud scheme that targeted the elderly and they all said no.
”Well, I was quoted in an article and she wrote me and said, ”Tell me who my victims are, b****”,’ Lisa claimed, though the text shown on screen didn’t include any profanity.
Heather and Whitney also discussed their friendship that was put on pause during season three, but failed to make amends.
Zero victims: ”Well, I was quoted in an article and she wrote me and said, ”Tell me who my victims are, b****”,’ Lisa claimed, though the text shown on screen didn’t include any profanity
The women were joined by their husbands during the episode with John Barlow, Seth Marks and Justin Rose sitting next to their wives on the couch.
Justin declared that he could broker peace between Seth and John after their wives had a falling out.
‘I can bring Meredith and Lisa back together, too,’ Justin said.
The women and Andy enjoyed a champagne toast together as the reunion concluded.
Jen is scheduled to report to prison on February 17.
Husbands joined: The women were joined by their husbands during the episode with John Barlow, Seth Marks and Justin Rose sitting next to their wives on the couch
Bold statement: ‘I can bring Meredith and Lisa back together, too,’ Justin said