Full House star Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have both pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges following the college admissions scam.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, the disgraced pair were offered a plea deal that included a minimum two-year prison stint, but they rejected the prosecutors’ offer which resulted in the Department of Justice adding some additional money laundering charges on top of their previous wire fraud charges.
Now, the couple have pleaded not guilty for their alleged involvement in the college admissions scandal.
The Hallmark actress and her fashion designer husband were arrested in March after they allegedly “agreed to pay bribes totalling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team — despite the fact that they did not participate in crew — thereby facilitating their admission to USC.”
Loughlin and Giannulli were charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud. Weeks later, they were also charged with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
A source previously told the publication that Loughlin “is in denial” about possibly going to prison.
“[She] doesn’t believe she should have to spend any time in prison,” the insider noted. “She’ll go to trial before being separated from her family, and take those odds rather than just go to prison as part of a deal.”
On the contrary, Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman, who was also arrested for her alleged involvement in the scandal, plead guilty in federal court.
She recently broke her silence on her involvement in the scandal via the following statement.
“I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney’s Office,” she said in a statement. “I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I am done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions.”
Meanwhile, an insider recently told the publication that Loughlin’s Fuller House co-stars are super worried that she’ll serve prison time after pleading not guilty.
“Lori’s castmates on Fuller House really thought she wasn’t going to have to serve prison time,” a source revealed. “They thought she was going to have to do something, but not go to prison. But that was before the addition of these most recent charges.”
