“Full House” actor Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, have agreed to please guilty in connection with the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country last year.
The parents of Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose secured “the fraudulent” admission of their daughters to the University of Southern California by claiming they were “purported athletic recruits” to the school’s crew team. Their parents were accused of paying $500,000 to get the coveted spots.
One snag? The girls had never participated in crew.
Both Loughlin and Giannulli will serve time in prison and pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines under their plea deals, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts said in a statement.
Loughlin agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. She will be sentenced to two months in prison, two years of supervised release with 100 hours of community service, and a $150,000 fine. Giannulli will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud. He will be sentenced to five months in prison, two years of supervised release with 250 hours of community service, and a $250,000 fine.
The college admissions scandal cracked open the secret world of wealthy and connected parents bribing their children’s way into institutions of higher education. Actress Felicity Huffman served eleven days in a low-security prison after she was found to have paid $15,000 to boost her daughter Sophia’s SAT score.
Loughlin and Giannulli’s daughters have not been charged with any criminal activity.