Lori Loughlin's husband Mossimo Giannulli sentenced to 5 months jail, $250k fine for college admission scandal
Lori Loughlin's husband Mossimo Giannulli was given a five-month federal prison sentence on Friday, August 21, after pleading guilty in the college admissions cheating scandal.
Both Loughlin and Giannulli had previously agreed to the prison time recommended by prosecutors in a sentencing memo, as part of a plea deal. Part of the deal also included paying $250,000 fine and serving 250 hours of community service. Neither Gianniulli nor his lawyers were present at the court when the verdict was handed down. After he and his lawyers appeared via a Zoom call, Judge Nathaniel Gorton said that he would accept the plea deal.
According to the criminal complaint, the couple was accused of paying $500,000 to Rick Singer and Key Worldwide Foundation to admit their daughters, Olivia Jade Giannulli, 20, and Isabella Rose Giannulli, 21, to the University of Southern California as new recruits in the crew team although neither of them ever participated in the sport.
Giannulli, along with his wife, were charged in 2019 with one count each of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery in addition to charges of money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and honest services mail and wire fraud. Although the pair initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, they eventually decided to take a plea agreement. Giannulli, 57, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of honest services wire and mail fraud on May 22.
A sentencing memo said that Giannulli and Loughlin worked with their daughter Olivia to get her to pretend that she was on the crew team. "In January 2018, Loughlin, Giannulli, and their younger daughter discussed how to avoid the possibility that a high school counselor would disrupt their scheme," the sentencing memo reads. "When their daughter asked whether she should list USC as her top choice school, Loughlin allegedly replied: 'Yes... But it might be a flag for the weasel to meddle,'" alluding to the high school counselor.
"Giannulli added: 'F**k him,' and remarked that the counselor was a 'nosey bastard,'" the memo continues. "Loughlin thereafter instructed her daughter: 'Don’t say too much to that man.'"
Giannulli allegedly confronted the high school counselor and persuaded him to advise the USC admissions that Olivia Jade competed in crew after the latter initially alerted the USC that he had "no knowledge of [her] involvement in crew, and based on what I knew of her video, blogging schedule I highly doubt she was involved in crew," the sentencing memo said.
Since the scandal came out into the open, both Loughlin and Giannulli have issued public apologies, saying that they regretted their behavior. “Lori and Mossimo deeply regret what they did,” a source close to Loughlin told People Magazine in May. “This experience has taken a huge emotional and physical toll on both of them.”
Added a second source: "At this point, they just want to find out their fates and to serve whatever time they need to serve, so they can move on with their lives and close this chapter." Loughlin is scheduled to be sentenced on the afternoon of August 21.