{"id":950,"date":"2020-05-22T08:17:24","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T22:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/?post_type=articles&p=173067"},"modified":"2020-11-15T15:04:24","modified_gmt":"2020-11-15T15:04:24","slug":"lori-loughlin-prison-sentence-college-admissions-scam","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/lori-loughlin-prison-sentence-college-admissions-scam\/","title":{"rendered":"Lori Loughlin and her husband will serve time in prison for college admissions bribery scam"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Lori
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 3: Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, wearing green tie at left, leave the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on April 3, 2019. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli have (finally) agreed to plead<\/p>\n

guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in the college admissions bribery case.<\/p>\n

The couple will serve prison time, according to papers filed in the Boston federal court on May 21.<\/p>\n

The charge carries up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.<\/p>\n

The stunning plea reversal sees Loughlin agree to serve two months in prison and her husband agree to serve five months. The judge is yet to approve these time frames.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

READ: THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL: WHY WE\u2019RE OBSESSED WITH A GOOD STORY ABOUT SCAMMERS<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lori
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 3: Actress Lori Loughlin, in tan at right, and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, in green tie behind her, leave the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on April 3, 2019. Photo by Jessica Rinaldi\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cUnder 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,\u201d said United States Attorney Andrew Lelling.<\/p>\n

More than thirty wealthy parents \u2013 CEOs, finance bigwigs, top lawyers \u2013 were charged with buying entry to a series of schools for their children who were, let\u2019s say, academically middling. One of them was fellow actress Felicity Huffman,<\/a> who immediately expressed her guilt after being arrested. She spent 14 days in prison.<\/p>\n

\"Felicity
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 3: Actress Felicity Huffman, in blue shirt at right, leaves the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on April 3, 2019. Photo by Jessica Rinaldi\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done,\u201d said Huffman. \u201cI am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community. I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Felicity
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 3: Actress Felicity Huffman, center, is surrounded by reporters as she leaves the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on April 3, 2019. Photo by Jessica Rinaldi\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 in bribes for their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, to get into the University of Southern California. They entered the college as crew coxswains even though no one really believes either girl had ever even been in a rowboat.<\/p>\n

Loughlin has seemed really calm and quietly confident throughout this entire ordeal and was often seen smiling in court<\/a>.<\/p>\n

READ: A CALM LORI LOUGHLIN TRIED TO CHARM PROSECUTORS DURING ADMISSIONS SCANDAL HEARING<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The man who ran the scheme, William Singer, helped parents falsify SAT exam results of their usually unsuspecting children. He would then bribe college officials and recommend paying students as athletes. The problem was, none of them were.<\/p>\n

In 2018, Singer was fitted with a wire. (Yes, he himself was bribed by the government to record conversations with persons of interest.) The result lifted the lid on one of the biggest college scandals in American history.<\/p>\n