Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli have been sentenced in the highly controversial college admissions scandal.
The couple was accused of paying $500,000 to William “Rick” Singer to falsely advertise their daughters, Olivia Jade Giannulli, 20, and Isabella Rose Giannulli, 21, as recruits to the University of Southern California crew team —- despite either of them never previously participating in the sport.
In a sentencing memorandum this past Monday, prosecutors recommended Giannulli be sentenced to five months in prison while Loughlin be sentenced to two, noting that Giannulli was “the more active participant in the scheme.”
And on the following Friday, an angry judge gave the sentence, and as a result, Loughlin will pay a $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service, while Giannulli, 57, will pay a $250,000 fine and serve 250 hours of community service.
In the scam, Loughlin and Giannulli were among the highest-profile defendants, where some 30 prominent parents have pleaded guilty to paying hefty bribes for the fake test scores and athletic credentials their undeserving kids needed to get into desirable colleges.
On May 22, Loughlin, 55, confessed to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud during a Zoom hearing in May.
Giannulli, 57, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of honest services wire and mail fraud.
The pair had been accused of forking over $500,000 in bribes to ringleader William “Rick” Singer’s purported charity, Key Worldwide Foundation, along with university officials in an attempt to get both their daughters into the University of Southern California.
In addition, the two also allegedly used staged photos of their daughters dawning work out clothes and using rowing machines to give the false impression that the young women were rowers in their college applications.
Until their guilty pleas, both Loughlin and Giannulli insisted on how they believed the payments were legitimate donations to USC.
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Singer had been prepared to testify against Loughlin and Giannulli had they taken the case to trial.
Loughlin revealed to her friends in June how she was terrified of getting COVID-19 in prison.
The family has hired security to “keep them safe,” while the daughters have had to since, withdraw from USC.
Neither of the couple’s daughters have been charged with any crimes stemming from the investigation.
