sentenced<\/a> to six and a half years in prison, but her sentence was reduced multiple times for good behavior. In December, she was released from prison after 33 months behind bars, more than four years early. Per People, she is serving out the rest of her sentence in house arrest.<\/p>\nIn the interview, which was published on Wednesday, Shah tried to explain how she ended up caught up in the scam. She said she thought she was \u201cdoing the right thing for the majority of the time,\u201d adding that\u00a0she was \u201cworking under people who were running these companies.\u201d \u201cI became involved in the case because I made horrible business decisions and I disregarded huge red flags,\u201d she said. \u201cI allowed the lines to be blurred between personal friendships and ethical business practices. And in essence, I trusted the wrong people at a very vulnerable time in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, she said she takes the blame. \u201cIt can happen if you\u2019re not careful, if you\u2019re not being diligent and you\u2019re not paying attention to the red flags. But you have a responsibility once you\u2019re in that position to make sure it doesn\u2019t,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Shah also said there were issues going on in her life in the years before her arrest that \u201cclouded my judgement.\u201d \u201cMy involvement in this conspiracy overlapped with my own personal pain,\u201d Shah said. \u201cMy husband and I were separated. We were on the verge of a divorce. I was overwhelmed with immense grief from the death of my grandmother, my father and my aunt, all in a very short period of time. I was spiraling deeper into my previously diagnosed clinical depression.\u201d Shah said she tried to \u201cnumb all of that with alcohol and just avoid it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Apparently, Shah began to fully grasp the severity of her crimes only shortly before her trial began, when her lawyers received a trove of evidence from prosecutors. \u201cIt was like a train hit. That was the first time I saw all of it \u2014 the communications, the interviews, the witnesses,\u201d Shah said. \u201cI saw for the first time that there were people who were hurt. That there were actual victims as a result of this conspiracy. I had never seen anything with my own eyes. That changed things for me.\u201d She pleaded guilty days later.<\/p>\n
During her home confinement, Shah said she is making it her \u201cmission to make sure that people are paid back\u201d the $6.6 million she owes in restitution. \u201cI understand that people have their opinions based on what they saw,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I would hope they would give me the grace to at least hear me and understand that I\u2019m more than just the headline.\u201d<\/p>\n
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