Report: Shahs Of Sunset’s Mercedes Javid Convicted & Jailed For Bank Fraud In 1994

One of the cast members of Shahs Of Sunset got in serious trouble with the FBI back in the early 1990s. Better known as Mercedes “MJ” Javid, Mercedeh Christine Javid as she’s named in legal documents pertaining to her conviction, did jail time for bank fraud.

Javid is currently a real estate agent as is mentioned on the show, although RadarOnline.com alleges that she hid her past from Bravo producers.

She was “convicted of one count of bank fraud, served one month in prison, had five months of home confinement… and then completed three year probation without incident. [She] was also able to pay all of the $10,000 restitution that was ordered, although she had to obtain a loan to do it.”

Allegedly pressured at 18-years-old while “employed as a bank teller at Home Savings in Beverly Hills, she was approached by four men who asked her to take part in a fraud scheme.” She claimed the men were strangers, although she recalled seeing them in her father’s auto repair shop the year prior. She also claimed to have refused their proposal at first but “The men threatened her, her father, and her boyfriend, and she agreed to assist them.” She made “between four and ten” deposits of “monetary funds in excess of $100,000” on behalf of these men after which she stopped showing up for work and the bank became suspicious. It took three years for the FBI to become involved and she pled guilty in 1994.

Initially, her real estate licence was denied by the California Department of Real Estate because of “a crime involving moral turpitude and one which is substantially related to the qualifications, functions, and duties of a real estate salesperson.” She eventually earned a restricted licence, say the documents, after completing probation, volunteering, obtaining her college degree, and having her supervisors at her real estate firm provide character references about “her dedication, hard work, maturity and trustworthiness.”

UPDATE: 1/9/13: RadarOnline.com pulled its report as of a few moments ago (the link leads to a 404 Not Founds as of seconds ago). Javid has not yet responded to the story.