Lori Loughlin jailed over college admissions scandal

Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli
AFP via Getty Images
Kit Heren22 August 2020

Lori Loughlin, star of beloved US sitcom Full House, has been given a two-month prison sentence for paying $500,000 in bribes to get her daughters into the University of Southern California.

Her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, will spend five months in prison for the same "breathtaking fraud", a judge ruled.

Giannulli was ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and do 250 hours of community service, while Loughlin will pay $150,000 and do 150 hours.

Prosecutors said Giannulli deserves a tougher sentence because he was “the more active participant in the scheme,” while Loughlin “took a less active role, but was nonetheless fully complicit”.

Actor Lori Loughlin, and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli
REUTERS

US District Judge Nathaniel Gorton accepted Loughlin’s plea deal in a hearing held remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic, after sentencing Giannulli in an earlier hearing.

Giannulli told the judge he “deeply” regrets the harm that the bribes have caused his daughters, wife and others, in the first public display of remorse by either parent.

Giannulli said: "I take full responsibility for my conduct. I am ready to accept the consequences and move forward, with the lessons I’ve learned from this experience."

Judge Gorton said the prison terms are “sufficient but not greater than necessary punishment under the circumstances”.

Before sentencing Giannulli he rebuked him for the “breathtaking fraud” made possible by his wealth and privilege.

College admissions scandal: Lori Loughlin leaves the federal courthouse after facing charges in 2019 
REUTERS

“You were not stealing bread to feed your family. You have no excuse for your crime and that makes it all the more blameworthy,” the judge added.

The sentencing comes three months after they reversed course and admitted to participating in the college admissions cheating scheme that has laid bare the lengths to which some wealthy parents will go to get their children into elite universities.

They are among nearly 30 prominent parents to plead guilty in the case, which federal prosecutors dubbed Operation Varsity Blues.

It uncovered hefty bribes to get undeserving children into college with rigged test scores or fake athletic credentials.

Lori Loughlin (centre) and her husband Mossimo Giannulli (second left) leave court after facing charges last year 
EPA

Loughlin and Giannulli had insisted for more than a year that they believed their payments were “legitimate donations” and accused prosecutors of hiding crucial evidence that could prove the couple’s innocence because it would undermine their case.

Their about-face came shortly after the judge rejected their bid to dismiss the case over allegations of misconduct by federal agents.

Loughlin gained fame for her role as the wholesome Aunt Becky in the sitcom Full House that ran from the late 1980s to mid-1990s, and later became queen of the Hallmark channel with her holiday movies and the series When Calls The Heart.

Other parents who have been sentenced to prison in the case have later urged the judge to allow them to serve their terms in home confinement because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Judge Gorton, known in the courthouse for handing out tough sentences, has denied such requests.

Felicity Huffman with husband William H. Macy 
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Before Friday, the couple had not made any public statements since their arrest and — unlike every other parent sentenced to far in the case — they did not submit letters expressing regret or notes of support from family and friends to the judge by the deadline, although Judge Gorton said he received two letters in support of Loughlin the day of the sentencing.

Among the high-profile parents who have been sent to prison for participating in the scam is Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman.

She served nearly two weeks behind bars late last year after she admitted to paying $15,000 to have someone correct her daughter’s entrance exam answers.

With additional reporting by the Associated Press.