Full House actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli, as expected, officially locked in their guilty pleas in the college admissions scandal on Friday. They each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and to honest services wire and mail fraud.
The couple appeared in court via Zoom. Loughlin reportedly smiled at one point, while Giannulli was described as appearing nervous.
Under the terms of the plea deal, which U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton has to sign off on, Loughlin would serve two months behind bars and pay a $150,000 fine. She agreed to two years of supervised release and to serve 100 hours of community service. Giannulli would get five months, pay $250,000, and get two years of supervised release with 250 hours of community service. This is a far cry from fighting 12 criminal counts at trial and facing the possibility of years in prison.
Their daughters Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Giannulli were each photographed on rowing machines, and those photos were submitted as part of fraudulent college applications to the University of Southern California. The celebrity parents were accused of “agree[ing] to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the [University of Southern California (USC)] crew team–despite the fact that they did not participate in crew.”
“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 on Thursday.
Perhaps the biggest news of all here is that it’s going to be a long time before Loughlin and Giannulli are sentenced. Sentencing has been set for Aug. 21.
[Image via Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images]
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