Rome News-Tribune

Lori Loughlin, other parents charged again in college scheme

- By Collin Binkley

“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

BOSTON —

Actress Lori Loughlin departs federal court in Boston after a hearing in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. Loughlin, her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, and nine other parents face new charges in the college admissions scandal. go to get their children into federal programs bribery. top universiti­es like Stanford Prosecutor­s said Wilson and Yale. paid Singer $1 million

Some parents are accused in hopes of paying bribes to of paying admissions consulget two of his children into tant William “Rick” Singer Stanford and Harvard. to falsely portray their chilIt’s the second time prosecutor­s dren as star athletes and then have added new chargbribe college sports officials es for parents pleading not to get them admitted as recruited guilty in the case. In April, athletes. Others are they added money laundering accused of paying Singer to to the initial charges of help cheat on their children’s fraud and conspiracy. SAT and ACT exams. U.S. District Attorney Andrew

Singer has pleaded guilty Lelling said the latest and agreed to work with incharges stem an ongoing investigat­ion. vestigator­s in hopes of receiving In a statement, a more lenient sentence. he said the new indictment

Along with the new conwill further his goal “to hold spiracy charge, Massachuse­tts the defendants fully accountabl­e real estate developer John for corrupting the college Wilson also was indicted on admissions process through two new counts of substantiv­e cheating, bribery and fraud.”

 ?? Ap-steven Senne, File ??
Ap-steven Senne, File

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