Loughlin, husband get prison time in college bribery plot
BOSTON: Apologising publicly for the first time for crimes their lawyers insisted for months they didn’t commit, Full House star Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were sentenced to prison on Friday for using their wealth and privilege to cheat their daughters’ way into the college of their choice.
The two-month prison sentence for Loughlin and fivemonth term for Giannulli bring to a close the legal saga for the highest-profile parents ensnared in the college admissions bribery scheme — a scandal that rocked the US educational system and laid bare the lengths some wealthy parents will go to get their kids into elite universities.
Fighting back tears, Loughlin told the judge her actions “helped exacerbate existing inequalities in society” and pledged to do everything in her power to use her experience as a “catalyst to do good.” Her lawyer said she began volunteering with special needs students at an elementary school.
“I made an awful decision. I went along with a plan to give my daughters an unfair advantage in the college admissions process and in doing so I ignored my intuition and allowed myself to be swayed from my moral compass,” Loughlin, 56, said during the hearing held via videoconference because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the plea deals with prosecutors , Giannulli will also pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service. Loughlin will pay a $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service.
Loughlin, who gained fame for her role as the wholesome Aunt Becky in the sitcom “Full House” that ran from the late 1980s to mid-1990s, and Giannulli were among 50 people charged last year in the case federal prosecutors dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues,” which uncovered hefty bribes to get undeserving kids into college with rigged test scores or fake athletic credentials.
Nearly 30 parents including “Desperate Housewives” actor Felicity Huffman have pleaded guilty while 10 are headed to trial.