Prosecutors have suggested the terms of Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s college admissions scandal sentencing ahead their scheduled court date on Friday, August 21, and their recommendation is surprising. If things go as planned for prosecutors, the 56-year-old Fuller House star and her husband, 47-year-old fashion designer Giannulli, are expected to be fined and serve prison time after pleading guilty to multiple counts of fraud.
In 2019, Loughlin and Giannulli were among a handful of celebrities accused of paying bribes to college fixer, William “Rick” Singer of Key Worldwide Foundation, to arrange guaranteed college admission into prestigious universities for their children. The former Hallmark Channel actress and her husband allegedly paid $500,000 to Singer to ensure that their two daughters—Olivia Jade, 20, and Bella, 21—would be granted admission to the University of Southern California as false crew recruits. The couple was charged with multiple counts of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud in March 2019 for their actions.
At the time, Loughlin and Giannulli initially pled not guilty and were released on bail. Daughters Olivia and Bella reportedly “encouraged their parents to fight this,” a source told People, before they realized the severity of their charges. In May 2020, Loughlin and Giannulli accepted a plea deal and pled guilty to the charges.
As part of their plea deal in May, Loughlin pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, whereas Giannulli pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud along with honest services wire and mail fraud. Federal prosecutors are expected to ask the judge presiding over Loughlin and Giannulli’s case to sentence the Full House alum to two months in prison and Giannulli to five months in prison.
This would be in addition to multiple fines and community service hours, including a $150,000 fine and 100 hours of community service for Loughlin, and a $250,000 fine and 250 hours of community service for Giannulli. Both are expected to enter two years of supervised release following their prison stays. According to People, a sentencing memo filed by prosecutors to the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts on Monday, August 17, upholds these terms.
While the terms of their plea deal call for different lengths in their respective prison sentences, Loughlin and Giannulli are reportedly also hoping to serve their sentences at different times. The couple maintains that this is for the well-being of their daughters. “Lori and Moss don’t want to serve their prison sentences at the same time. Among the reasons, even though their daughters are adults, Lori wants one parent to be free to provide emotional support to the girls,” an insider told Us Weekly in May. “Lori’s concern all along has been Isabella and Olivia Jade.”
Separate prison sentences might also give mom Loughlin the opportunity to reconnect with her daughters amid recent reports of their strained relationships. According to a separate Us Weekly source, things between Loughlin and Olivia Jade have been especially fraught. “Lori and Olivia Jade’s relationship has not fully healed,” the insider told the outlet in August.