Back in 2019, Full House actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Massimo Giannulli, became one of several high-profile celebrities involved in a massive college admissions bribery scandal after they were accused of paying $500,000 in exchange for having their daughters designated as recruits for the University of Southern California crew team, despite the fact that neither ever participated in the club. This would have facilitated their admission into the university, according to a 200-page indictment that was made public last March. The scandal involved over 30 wealthy parents all over the country.
Originally, the couple refused to take a government plea deal and faced up to 50 years in prison and millions in fines. However, after their guilty plea, the couple will face far more lenient sentences with the Full House star agreeing to two months in prison and a $150,000 fine as well as two years supervised release and 100 hours of community service. Meanwhile, her husband agreed to five months in prison, a $250,000 fine, supervised release, and 250 hours of community service. When asked by Judge Nathaniel Gorton if she had anything to add to the case presented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen, or if she contested the damning “Operation Varsity Blues” evidence, the actress simply replied, “No, your honor.”
Operation varsity blues was the name of the investigation launched by the FBI into the college admissions scheme. The investigation focused on William Rick Singer, who’s said to have organized the bribery scheme. In all, 33 applicants are said to have paid Singer over $25 million between 2011 and 2018 to bribe college officials, inflate entrance exam test scores, among other things. Singer is facing up to 65 years in federal prison and a fine of $1.25 million.
Sentencing for Loughlin and her husband is scheduled for this summer. However, many experts believe that the current coronavirus pandemic might allow their attorney to successfully argue for both clients to have their sentences changed to house arrest in light of the infection risk present in prisons for inmates. States and the federal government over recent months have been encouraged to allow non-violent offenders to serve their sentences in their homes to curve the spread of COVID-19.
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