Lori Loughlin and hubby plead guilty in college admissions scandal, agree to jail time

On May 22, actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, appeared in Boston federal court via Zoom boxes and pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in connection with securing the fraudulent admission of their two daughters to the University of Southern California as supposed athletic student recruits.

Loughlin, 55, best known for her TV role in “Full House,” pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Giannulli, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud.

Lori Loughlin pleads GUILTY!https://t.co/d9xu6Kt8ci
— TMZ Live (@TMZLive) May 21, 2020

For the last year, the Los Angeles, California, couple pleaded not guilty to those conspiracy charges, but changed their pleas after receiving what is believed to be plea deals that weighed more heavily in their favor.

Before setting their sentencing hearing for Aug. 21, Judge Nathaniel Gorton repeatedly asked the couple to confirm they were aware of the consequences of pleading guilty to felonies. ~ NBC News

Under the terms of Loughlin’s plea agreement, she’ll be spending two months in prison, pay a $150,000 fine and then have two years of supervised release with 100 hours of community service.

Under the terms of Giannulli’s plea agreement, the parties have agreed to a sentence of five months in prison, a $250,000 fine and two years of supervised release with 250 hours of community service.

Loughlin and Giannulli are the 23^rd and 24^th parents to plead guilty in the college admissions scandal case.

“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,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.

Their sentences could have been much harsher. The charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud provides for a sentence of up 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater.

The duo has been accused of arranging a total collective payment of $500,000 to Singer to get their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella, recruited to the University of Southern California (USC) as athletes on the crew team, despite never having participated in the sport. ~ Fox News

See: Lori Loughlin’s Plea Deal – and – Mossimo Giannulli’s Plea Deal

Loughlin and another well-known actress, Oscar-nominated Felicity Huffman were the two biggest names caught up in the probe, dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues” by prosecutors, according to NBC News.

For more on Loughlin’s guilty plea, see the video accompanying this article.