In separate hearings Friday, a judge sentenced “Full House” star Lori Loughlin to two months in prison and sentenced her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, to five months in prison for their roles in a large-scale college bribery admissions scandal.
The pair pleaded guilty in May to agreeing to pay $500,000 in bribes to have their daughters labeled as recruits to the University of Southern California crew team, though neither participated in the sport.
Update 2:45 p.m. EDT Aug. 21: A federal judge on Friday accepted a plea deal between Loughlin and prosecutors which includes two months in prison for her role in a large-scale college admissions bribery scheme revealed last year by authorities.
Loughlin appeared in court through a video feed Friday, according to WFXT.
The actress was also ordered to pay a $150,000 fine and to serve 100 hours of community service.
Prosecutor says Loughlin was an active and willful participant in the scheme to bribe both of her daughters into the University of Southern California.
— Robert Goulston (@rgoulston) August 21, 2020
Update 11:15 a.m. EDT Aug. 21: A federal judge on Friday accepted Giannulli’s plea deal with prosecutors, which includes a $250,000 fine and 250 required hours of community service, according to The Associated Press.
Giannulli appeared virtually in court on Friday, according to WFXT.
Giannulli tells the court he deeply regrets the harm he has caused.
— Robert Goulston (@rgoulston) August 21, 2020
Giannulli and Loughlin pleaded guilty in May to participating in a college admissions bribery scheme to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California. The couple admitted to having agreed to pay $500,000 in bribes to have their daughters labeled as recruits to the USC crew team, though neither participated in the sport.
Original report: “Full House” star Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, are expected to be sentenced Friday for their roles in the college admission scandal.
The couple was arrested last year for bribery. Loughlin and Giannulli paid half a million dollars to get their daughters into the University of Southern California, The Associated Press reported.
They had said they were innocent, but plead guilty.
Loughlin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud; Giannulli pleaded guilty to the same charge as well as honest services wire and mail fraud, CNN reported.
They will appear virtually before a federal judge in Boston. The plea deal could have Loughlin spending up to two months behind bars and Giannulli up to five months in prison, Reuters reported. They are also expected to be fined and serve community service: $150,000 and 100 hours for Loughlin and $250,000 and 250 hours for Giannulli.
They will each also get two years of supervised release, CNN reported.
Fifty-five people were charged in the scandal where parents conspired with California college admission counselor William “Rick” Singer. Singer facilitated cheating on entrance exams and using bribery to get the children into schools by using fake athletic recruiting, Reuters reported. Singer made fake profiles that made them appear to have been recruited by the rowing team, CNN reported.
Loughlin and Giannulli’s daughters’ applications for admission were false so they were admitted as fake members of the rowing team. Prosecutors said Giannulli also paid $500,000 “donations” to convince a USC employee to appear to recruit Oliva Jade and Isabella Rose Giannulli, according to Reuters.
“He engaged more frequently with Singer, directed the bribe payments to USC and Singer, and personally confronted his daughter’s high school counselor to prevent the scheme from being discovered, brazenly lying about his daughter’s athletic abilities,” US Attorney Andrew Lelling wrote in a detention memo, CNN reported.
Another actress, Felicity Huffman, was sentenced to 14 days in prison for her role in the scam, Reuters reported. She served 11 days, according to CNN.
Cox Media Group
