TV actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, a fashion designer, are set to be sentenced on Friday for their roles in the college admission bribery system that federal investigators have called Operation Varsity Blues.
The couple entered into plea deals with the US attorney for the Massachusetts borough in May. For his part, Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit telephone and mail fraud.
Her husband pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit telephone and mail fraud and honest services to telephone and mail fraud.
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli plead guilty in college admissions scandal
LAW
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli plead guilty in college admissions scandal
Sentencing recommendations from the respective settlements indicate that Loughlin could face two months in prison and a fine of $ 150,000. Giannulli faces a slightly harsher sentence of five months in prison and a fine of $ 250,000.
Their sentences will ultimately be determined by a federal judge.
Federal officials say these are the 23rd and 24th parents to plead guilty in the case.
Loughlin became the face of the admissions scandal, partly because of her fame, and partly because, unlike other parents accused in the elaborate program, she and Giannulli had long maintained their innocence.
Actress Lori Loughlin begins a federal court hearing on the project in Boston in August 2019.
Steven Senne / AP
In April 2019, the couple pleaded not guilty in federal court after being charged with paying a $ 500,000 bribe in return for their daughters’ admission to the University of Southern California.
Their two daughters posed as rookies for the varsity team, although neither played the sport.
The bribes were paid to William “Rick” Singer, the mastermind of the vast enterprise, which included the creation of fake sports profiles for wealthy parents who hoped to bypass the traditional admissions process to get their children accepted in. prestigious schools. .
The singer awaits the sentence.
He has pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice – and now faces a prison sentence of over 50 years. However, Justice Department officials said it was cooperating with government investigations and recommended jail time at the lower end of the sentencing guidelines range. Is Lakeith Stanfield okay
In all, 55 people have been charged under the admissions program, which was first announced by federal officials in Boston in March 2019.
The Justice Department called the company a multi-million dollar ploy to cheat college admissions standards.
In addition to creating fake sports profiles, the program planned to “bribe the administrators of the SAT and ACT exams to allow a candidate … to secretly take college entrance exams for students or to correct answers from students. students after took the exam. ”
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Former USC coach behind fake sports profiles in college admissions scam, pleads guilty
The scam also engulfed a number of college coaches.
Former USC football manager Laura Janke pleaded guilty last May to a racketeering conspiracy charge linked to the scandal, including $ 130,000 in illegal payments. Like Loughlin and Giannulli, he had previously claimed not to participate in the project.
As reported by NPR, Janke has helped create a number of fake sports profiles, including those of Loughlin and Giannulli’s daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose.
Another famous actress, Felicity Huffman of Desperate Housewives, was also convicted as part of the scheme. In September, she was sentenced to 14 days in prison for paying thousands of dollars in exchange for raising the SAT score of one of her children.