More charges for Lori Loughlin, other college-scandal holdouts
BOSTON — “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin, her fashion designer husband and nine other parents faced new federal charges Tuesday in a scandal involving dozens of wealthy parents accused of bribing their children’s way into elite universities or cheating on college entrance exams.
A grand jury in Boston indicted the parents on charges of trying to bribe officials at an organization that receives at least $10,000 in federal funding. In this case, they’re accused of paying to get their children admitted to the University of Southern
California.
The charge of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Prosecutors are pressuring those who have pleaded not guilty in the college admissions scandal to acknowledge their guilt.
A total of 35 wealthy and celebrity parents have been charged in the scheme.
Lawyers for Loughlin, who starred in the 1980s and ’90s sitcom “Full House,” and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, did not immediately respond to the charges. The couple is accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into USC as recruits on the crew team, even though neither participated in the sport.
Loughlin and Giannulli have pleaded not guilty.
USC said Monday that the couple’s daughters are “not currently enrolled.” The university’s statement said it is “unable to provide additional information because of student privacy laws.”