‘Full House’ actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband pleaded guilty on Friday to charges relating to the college admissions scandal, but a federal judge said he would not accept the pleas until he had reviewed their pre-sentencing reports, the Boston Herald reported.
Appearing via video conference from Los Angeles with the judge in Boston, Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud. Mossimo Giannulli pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud. The sentencing deal calls for Loughlin to spend two months in federal prison and Giannulli five, but US District Court Judge Judge Nathaniel Gorton set August 21 as the date for final sentencing.
The public was allowed to register and log on for the video conference, but recordings or photographs of the proceedings were not allowed.
The pleas came just two weeks after Gorton tossed the couple’s motion to dismiss the case.
Provided the judge accepts the deal, Loughlin and Giannuli will be spending more time in prison that some of those caught up in the so-called “Varsity Blues” scandal and less than others. Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty early on to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud for paying a proctor $15,000 to rig her daughter Sophia Grace Macy’s SAT exam. She was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison, the New York Post reported.
Loughlin and Giannulli were accused of paying $500,000 to help their daughters gain admission fraudulently to the University of Southern California. As CrimeOnline previously reported, both of their daughters were admitted to the prestigious university as crew team recruits, though neither played the sport.
The longest sentence dealt in the scandal so far went to Douglas Hodge, a former investment firm CEO, who admitted paying $850,000 to get four of his children admitted to elite private universities. Hodge was sentenced to nine months in prison, although prosecutors had asked for two years, the Post reported.
Hot Pockets heiress Michelle Janavs was sentenced to five months after she admitted paying $100,000 to boost one daughter’s test scores and $200,000 to present another daughter as a fake beach volleyball recruit.
Court documents say Loughlin also agreed to pay $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service, while her husband agreed to a $250,000 fine and 250 hours of community service.
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[Featured image: Lori Loughlin at court in Boston in 2019/(AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)]
