Actress Lori Loughlin Agrees To Plead Guilty in College Admissions Scandal
Actress Lori Loughlin has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in connection with her effort to get her two daughters into college through fraud.
Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, sought to get their children into the University of Southern California as athletic recruits, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office
for the District of Massachusetts.
Loughlin, a former star of “Full House,” actress Felicity Huffman, and dozens of others have been charged in a massive scheme in which parents bribed coaches and testing center staff to get their children into elite colleges, CNN reported.
The actress will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Giannulli will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud.
Loughlin will be sentenced to two months in prison, a $150,000 fine and two years of supervised release with 100 hours of community service. Her husband faces five months in prison, a $250,000 fine and two years of supervised release with 250 hours of community service.
The guilty pleas drew a reaction on Twitter.
Lori Loughlin and her husband agreed to plead guilty for paying $500,000 to cheat their daughters into college — part of a massive admissions scam involving several wealthy parents.
Their charges carry up to 20 years in prison.
She will serve 2 months. pic.twitter.com/IPcB6Slc38— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 21, 2020
I bought my son a used 2004 Honda Civic so he could go to community college. So I feel their pain. https://t.co/2EuTyh4Yd7
— Chip Franklin (@chipfranklin) May 21, 2020
White Collar crime, white collar time ? https://t.co/eIZnNhKdfo
— Rex the TV terrier (@rexthetvterrier) May 21, 2020
Lori Loughlin only getting two months in prison when she cheated deserving kids out of an education that, in turn, impacts the rest of their lives is *insane* to me.
— elatticus (@elatticus) May 21, 2020
I don’t think Lori Loughlin and her husband committed crimes worth prison time. Our society would be better if they were punished with fines that went to helping poorer people attend college a little bit easier.
— Polly Karr (@karr_pe) May 21, 2020
The release noted that 24 parents charged in the scheme have now pleaded guilty.
“Under the plea agreements filed today, these defendants will serve prison terms reflecting their respective roles in a conspiracy to corrupt the college admissions process and which are consistent with prior sentences in this case. We will continue to pursue accountability for undermining the integrity of college admissions,” U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling said.
Loughlin and Giannulli were accused of paying $500,000 to ensure their two daughters were admitted to USC as recruits for the crew team, even though neither girl participated in the sport.
Conviction on the charges facing Loughlin and Giannulli could have resulted in sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
“The stakes at trial were really high for these two,” legal analyst Elie Honig told CNN.
“Had they gone to trial and lost, they were looking at several years each. So they really cut their losses here by cutting these pleas.”
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