Lori Loughlin, others charged again in college admissions scheme

BOSTON — “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin, her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, and nine other parents faced new federal charges Tuesday as prosecutors pressured them to acknowledge their guilt in a scheme involving dozens of wealthy parents accused of bribing their children 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.

A total of 35 wealthy and celebrity parents have been charged in the scheme that showed how far some will go to get their children into top universities like Stanford and Yale.

Greenwich lawyer Gordon Caplan was sentenced to one month behind bars for paying $75,000 to improve his daughter’s score on a college admissions test.

It’s the second time prosecutors have added new charges for parents pleading not guilty in the case. In April, they added money laundering to the initial charges of fraud and conspiracy.

U.S. District Attorney Andrew Lelling said the latest charges stem an ongoing investigation.

Lawyers for Loughlin, who starred in “Full House,” and 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.

The 11 parents charged Tuesday are among 15 who are fighting the charges against them. Four other parents changed their notguilty pleas Monday and were set to be sentenced next year.

An additional 15 parents already have pleaded guilty in deals with prosecutors.

Of the 10 parents sentenced so far, nine have received prison sentences, ranging from 14 days to five months. “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman was the first parent to be sentenced and is now serving her 14day prison sentence.