She’s not disengaging.
“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Meredith Marks is maintaining a friendship with Jen Shah — even after the latter pleaded guilty in her fraud case.
“Jen and I are still speaking. And more than ever, I think she probably needs some support from people around her,” Marks, 50, tells Page Six exclusively while promoting Season 3 of the Bravo reality series.
“You’ll see a lot unfold and have a much better level of understanding of the place she was coming from — I can’t say in terms of her plea, that I have no idea — but just in general, emotionally,” the jewelry designer teases.
“You’ll see a lot of how she and I reconnect.”
Shah, 48, allegedly scammed hundreds of people out of money through a nationwide telemarketing scheme, and her March 2021 arrest was documented on “RHOSLC.”
In July, she pleaded guilty when she appeared in front of US District Judge Sidney Stein in Manhattan federal court, reversing her previous not guilty plea.
As part of a plea deal, she admitted her guilt on one count, conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing, while the US attorney agreed to drop the other count against her, conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Shah’s lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, previously told Page Six that the last-minute plea was made because the Bravolebrity “wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family.”
Shah’s plea agreement calls for up to 14 years in prison and restitution of up to $9.5 million. Her sentencing is set for Nov. 28.
Prior to her guilty plea, the reality star had proclaimed her innocence on “RHOSLC” and in court.
“I believed that, at a minimum, Jen believed in her own innocence because she said she was innocent,” Marks, who made amends with Shah at the Season 2 reunion after a heated feud played out across multiple episodes, tells us.
“It was surprising that she took a plea — it was surprising, for sure, that she took a plea. Because, if anything, I thought that she would at least go to trial. But hopefully we get to see the backstory on how that all unfolded.”
Season 3 technically wrapped production earlier this year, but Bravo cameras followed Shah leading up to her July court appearance.
Marks and castmate Heather Gay each developed deeper bonds with Shah while filming the latest installment of the show. The two women even met the embattled reality star in New York City ahead of her pre-trial hearing to show their support.
“We live in the US. We have a justice system here. She was slated for a jury trial. So, in my view, it was not up to me to try to determine her guilt or innocence at any level. That’s why we have the justice system that we have,” Marks tells Page Six.
Marks, who attended law school at Northwestern University, adds that she was careful not to press Shah for details about her legal woes.
“It is still an open case. She has not been sentenced, so it’s nothing she can speak freely about,” Marks acknowledges. “So that’s why I would never ask any questions either — because I know she can’t talk about it.”
“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” Season 3 premieres Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.