Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli Facing New Charges in College Admissions Case
Lori Loughlin is facing a new charge in connection with the college admissions scandal.
The Fuller House star, her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, and nine other parents charged in the case received additional charges by a grand jury on Tuesday.
The new charges in the third superseding indictment allege the parents conspired to commit federal program bribery by bribing employees of the University of Southern California to facilitate their children's admission. In exchange for the bribes, employees of the university allegedly designated the defendants’ children as athletic recruits – with little or no regard for their athletic abilities – or as members of other favored admissions categories.
Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters, 20-year-old Olivia and 21-year-old Bella, admitted to USC as recruits for the crew team, even though neither had ever participated in the sport. Loughlin and Giannulli were charged in a second superseding indictment on conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering in April, and have pleaded not guilty.
The charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the money laundering. The charge of federal programs bribery provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The new charge against Loughlin and Giannulli comes just one day after ET confirmed their daughters are no longer enrolled at USC. Earlier this month, a source told ET that Loughlin was experiencing extreme anxiety as a result of the scandal.
"[Her] anxiety is through the roof, she is terrified, and she's been consumed with trying to put on a happy face but it's not easy under the circumstances," the source said.
"The college scandal has been the biggest challenge of Lori's life," the source added. "She never imagined her public persona would plummet or she could face jail time. This has affected every aspect of her life."
See more in the video below.
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