Loughlin wants $1M bond reduced
Actress and husband pleaded guilty in scam
Disgraced Hollywood actress Lori Loughlin, fired by the Hallmark Channel after being embroiled in the college cheating scandal, is appealing to a federal judge in Boston to lower her bond from $1 million to $100,000.
Loughlin, 55, has already pleaded guilty to bribing her daughters’ way into the University of Southern California as fake crew recruits. She and her designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, 56, face an Aug. 21 sentencing in Boston.
On Monday, Loughlin and Giannulli appealed to federal Judge Nathaniel Gorton to release “their $1,000,000 bonds secured by their property, reducing their bail from $1,000,000 to $100,000, and removing the requirement that the $100,000 bonds be secured by money or property.”
The Hollywood power couple’s attorneys “respectfully submitted” the cut, adding prosecutors in U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s Boston office did not object.
“There is no indication that Defendants will flee rather than face sentencing,” Loughlin’s legal team added. “An unsecured bond, coupled with sufficient assets to collect upon, provides the same incentive for Defendants to appear in this case, which they will of course continue to do.”
In May, Gorton told both parents to report to federal court in Boston next month for his final decision on a sentencing agreement. He added he’d rule before then on if he will accept a plea deal that calls for two months in prison for Loughlin, five months for Giannulli.
Loughlin, best known for playing Aunt Becky on the 1990s sitcom “Full House” and Abigail in the Hallmark series “When Calls the Heart,” must also pay a $150,000 fine and do 100 hours of community service. Giannulli’s suggested fine is $250,000 and he must complete 250 hours of community service — if the judge OKs the deal.
Seeking to reduce their bond could free up cash for the legal bills, said Needham defense attorney Tim Burke, a former prosecutor.
“They could use that bail money to pay a fine they are anticipating,” Burke said. “It’s a lot easier to do it that way.”
The California couple will likely serve their time — when a vaccine for the coronavirus may still not be available — in a federal prison near their Los Angeles home, a Golden State lawyer told the Herald the day the couple pleaded guilty.
“It’s likely the judge will accept the plea deal,” said San Franciscobased attorney Eric MacMichael. “It’s a relatively good deal. Their fight vs. Rick Singer contributed to getting that better deal.”
Loughlin and Giannulli argued, unsuccessfully, that college admissions scam mastermind William “Rick” Singer was coached by the FBI to lie. The legal fight exposed the FBI’s tactics, but did not stop the feds from winning guilty pleas.
Another California couple looking to land their kids into USC, Diane Blake, 55, and Todd Blake, 54, pleaded guilty last week in the “Varsity Blues” case making them the the 27th and 28th parents to plead guilty. The feds have indicted a total of 33 mostly wealthy parents.