Lori Loughlin and her husband have agreed to plead guilty — and serve time behind bars — for paying bribes to get their two daughters into college, prosecutors announced Thursday.
The “Full House” star and her fashion designer hubby, Mossimo Giannulli, will cop to conspiracy charges for paying $500,000 to get their daughters, Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Rose Giannulli, into the University of Southern California as rowing recruits. Neither girl was involved in the sport.
Loughlin, 55, will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, while Giannulli, 56, will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud.
Under their plea agreements, Loughlin will serve two months in prison, perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $150,000 fine. Her husband will serve five months in prison, pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service.
Both sentences are subject to a judge’s approval. The couple will enter their pleas via video conference Friday morning, according to court records.
“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 US Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.
Loughlin and Giannulli vowed to fight the charges, saying they believed the money was a legitimate donation to admitted college fixer William “Rick” Singer.
Last month, the feds released photos they say helped the couple’s daughters scam their way into USC. The pics show Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose seated on rowing machines in workout clothes, their faces blurred.
Olivia Jade, Lori Loughlin, Isabella Rose
Giannulli emailed Isabella’s photo to Singer — the mastermind behind the massive admissions scandal — in September 2016, according to court documents.
“Lori and Moss, I met with USC today [and] I need a PDF of her transcript and test scores very soon while I create a coxswain portfolio for her,” Singer wrote in an email asking for Isabella’s photo. “It would probably help to get a picture with her on an ERG in workout clothes like a real athlete too.”
“Fantastic. Will get all,” Giannulli wrote back.
After Isabella got accepted to the school, he wrote to his financial adviser, “Good news my [older] daughter is in [U]SC bad [news] is I had to work the system,” People reported.
Giannulli sent Singer Olivia’s rowing photos less than a year later. He and Loughlin paid $500,000 to Singer to secure their daughters’ spots at the school.
The couple’s about-face comes after a federal judge refused to toss the charges against them. They were set to stand trial in October.
Loughlin and Giannulli are among two dozen parents, college officials and coaches who have pleaded guilty to the sweeping college admissions scandal that unfolded last year.
“Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman also pleaded guilty to charges and was sentenced to 14 days behind bars. She was released from jail early in October.
Other punishments have ranged from a couple of weeks in jail to the highest, nine months, doled out to Douglas Hodge, the former CEO of the asset management giant Pimco. Hodge admitted to paying $850,000 over the course of more than a decade to get four of his kids into elite private universities.
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