Prosecutors announced on Thursday that Lori Loughlin and husband, Mossimo Giannulli have both pleaded guilty to conspiring to get her daughters admitted to the University of Southern California (USC) as crew recruits, even though neither rowed.
The couple were accused of paying US $500,000 to get their two daughters, Olivia Jade and Bella Giannulli onto the college’s crew team to ensure their admission. The prosecutors also added that the Giannulli worked with a college consultant William Singer – a reported mastermind behind college admissions schemes.
Singer has since pleaded guilty to several charges including racketeering.
Lori Loughlin and her husband are some of the highest-profile defendants in what has been labeled as “the nation’s largest college admissions scandal.”
Under the agreement, which still needs formal judge approval, “Loughlin will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, while Giannulli will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud.
“Under the terms of Loughlin’s plea agreement, the parties have agreed to a sentence, subject to the Court’s approval, of two months in prison, a $150,000 fine and 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, subject to the Court’s approval, of five months in prison, a $250,000 fine and two years of supervised release with 250 hours of community service.”
The document also added that Loughlin and Giannulli were the 23rd and 24th parents to plead guilty in the case. 53 individuals in total were charged in the probe, with several left in the dark.
Neither of the Giannulli children are now enrolled in USC, although It remains unclear how the two withdrew. USC is now investigating an additional three dozen students for admissions violations in relation to the scandal.
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