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Actress Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli are to be sentenced on Friday after entering a plea bargain with federal prosecutors. The couple is going to be sentenced after they pleaded guilty to the admission fraud that saw their two daughters gain admission into the University of Southern California. Fifty-five people have been charged for the college admissions fraud and most of them plead guilty or are expected to plead guilty.
Loughlin and Giannulli initially denied any guilt in the scandal but later changed their testimony after meeting with prosecutors. Loughlin agreed that she gave William Rick Singer, the mastermind of the fraud, $500,000 to get her daughters into USC. Husband Giannulli, a fashion designer, also confessed to conspiracy in the fraud after Singer created fake profiles that could get the two girls into the university.
Following their bargain with prosecutors, Loughlin admitted to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and her husband agreed he committed conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud as well as honest services wire and mail fraud.
To this end, prosecutors agreed to ask the judge to sentence Loughlin to two months behind bars and Giannulli to five months in prison. Loughlin will also be fined $150,000 and 100 hours of community service while her husband will be also be fined $250,000 and 250 hours of community service.
Given the type of plea bargain arranged, the judge will have no choice but to agree to the sentencing concluded by the defendants and the prosecutors. However, analysts said both Loughlin and Giannulli could have been handed up to 20 years in prison if they had allowed the case to go to trial. US District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton is famed for handing down tough sentences, and he could have dealt the couple a heavy blow if they had been convicted following a trial.
“He’s one of the heavier sentencers,” said Attorney Robert Fisher, of the law firm Nixon Peabody. “With her guidelines, she could have been looking at significantly more time after trial. Two months is going to be a significant deviation from the original sentencing guidelines.”
Source: cnn.com
