Lori Loughlin's Law-Breaking: Cheating Scandal And Prison Sentence

Actress Lori Loughlin was charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, honest services fraud, and bribery in 2019 for her involvement in the college admissions scandal. Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, allegedly paid $500,000 to have their two daughters falsely designated as recruits for the University of Southern California crew team, despite neither of them participating in the sport. Loughlin pleaded guilty in 2020 and served two months in prison.

Lori Loughlin bribed her children's way into elite colleges

In 2019, Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were accused of bribing their children's way into elite colleges. The couple allegedly paid $500,000 to admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer to falsely designate their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, as recruits to the University of Southern California (USC) crew team, despite neither of them participating in the sport.

Loughlin and Giannulli were indicted in March 2019 along with over 30 other wealthy parents for their alleged involvement in a college admissions scandal, dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues" by federal prosecutors. The scandal involved parents allegedly making payments to get their children into top universities with false credentials and inflated test scores. In total, around 50 people were charged in the case, including two SAT/ACT administrators, one exam proctor, nine coaches at elite schools, one college administrator, and 33 parents.

Loughlin and Giannulli were initially charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. They pleaded not guilty to these charges and rejected a plea deal offered by prosecutors. As a result, they faced additional charges of money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and federal programs bribery. With the new charges, the couple faced up to 50 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines if found guilty.

In May 2020, Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. She was sentenced to two months in prison, a $150,000 fine, and two years of supervised release. She served her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, and was released in December 2020 after serving two months.

She was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud

In 2019, Lori Loughlin was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud as part of a college admissions cheating scandal. Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, allegedly paid $500,000 to a fake charity run by Rick Singer, the mastermind of the scam, to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as crew recruits, despite their children not participating in the sport.

Conspiracy to commit mail fraud is a felony charge. Mail fraud itself is a crime in which the perpetrator uses the postal service or another mail carrier to further a scheme to defraud. In this case, Loughlin and her co-conspirators allegedly used the mail to facilitate their scheme to bribe college administrators and coaches to gain admission for their children to elite colleges.

Loughlin and Giannulli were also charged with honest services mail fraud, which involves a breach of duty and/or trust that is carried out through the use of mail services. In this case, the breach of duty and/or trust was the bribing of college officials to gain admission for their children under false pretenses.

Loughlin and Giannulli initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but later took a plea deal. In May 2020, Loughlin confessed to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and was sentenced to two months in prison, a $150,000 fine, and 150 hours of community service. She served her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, and was released in December 2020.

She was also charged with honest services fraud

In 2019, Lori Loughlin was charged with honest services mail and wire fraud as part of a college admissions scandal. The actress and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were accused of paying $500,000 to have their two daughters billed as recruits for the University of Southern California (USC) crew team, despite neither of them participating in the sport.

Loughlin and Giannulli allegedly conspired with college admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer to bribe USC employees to facilitate the recruitment of their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose Giannulli, as fake rowing team recruits.

In November 2018, Singer informed Loughlin that his non-profit organization, Key Worldwide Foundation, was being audited by the IRS and that her payments to the non-profit were under scrutiny. Singer told Loughlin that he had informed the IRS that her payments were donations to help underserved children.

Loughlin was charged under 18 U.S.C. Section 1346, which makes it a felony to use mail or wire fraud for failing to deliver "honest services." This statute is a powerful prosecutorial tool, as a conviction for honest services fraud can result in a lengthy prison sentence.

Loughlin and Giannulli initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but later changed their pleas to guilty. In August 2020, Loughlin was sentenced to two months in prison, a $150,000 fine, and two years of supervised release. Her husband received a five-month sentence, a $250,000 fine, and two years of supervised release.

Loughlin pleaded not guilty to the charges

In April 2019, Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges were brought against them as part of the college admissions scandal, in which wealthy parents allegedly bribed college coaches and administrators to secure their children's admission to elite colleges.

Loughlin and Giannulli were accused of paying $500,000 to the scheme's alleged ringleader, William "Rick" Singer, to guarantee their daughters' admission to the University of Southern California (USC) as crew recruits, despite the fact that their daughters did not participate in crew.

Loughlin and Giannulli's decision to plead not guilty came after they passed up on a plea deal that had been taken by fellow actress Felicity Huffman. As a result of rejecting the deal, the Department of Justice added additional money laundering charges on top of the previous wire fraud charges.

According to sources, Loughlin and Giannulli believed they were breaking rules, not laws and felt they had been "manipulated by those involved". They also claimed that they thought the money they paid would be used as a donation to benefit the school.

By pleading not guilty, Loughlin and Giannulli risked a much longer prison sentence than if they had accepted a plea deal. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, meaning Loughlin and Giannulli could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted. Despite this risk, sources claimed that Loughlin was in denial about the possibility of being locked up and was willing to "roll the dice" because she believed she had a strong defense.

She served two months in prison

In 2020, Lori Loughlin pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges stemming from making payments to William "Rick" Singer, the mastermind of a college admissions scam, to get her daughters, Isabella and Olivia Jade, into the University of Southern California. She was sentenced to two months in prison, a $150,000 fine, and two years of supervised release.

Loughlin served her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, the same prison where her co-conspirator in the scandal, Felicity Huffman, served an 11-day sentence in October 2019. Huffman, an actress known for her role in "Desperate Housewives," pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud for paying $15,000 to have her daughter's SAT answers changed.

Loughlin's husband, Mossimo Giannulli, was sentenced to five months in prison, a $250,000 fine, and two years of supervised release. He was still serving his sentence as of December 2024, when Loughlin was released.

Loughlin's time in prison seems to have influenced her career choices. In her first major role since the scandal, she played a law enforcement officer in the Prime Video series "On Call." She told Entertainment Tonight that the role gave her a "whole new appreciation for law enforcement."

Loughlin and Giannulli's daughter, Olivia Jade, gave her first interview about the scandal in December 2020, while her parents were serving their sentences. She said she hadn't spoken to either of them and that it had been hard to see them go to prison.

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