Lori Loughlin and Her Husband Are Now Facing New Bribery Charges in College Cheating Scandal

From Good Housekeeping

• Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were charged in the nationwide college admissions scandal earlier this year.

• Prosecutors alleged that the pair paid $500,000 to William "Rick" Singer so that their two daughters – Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose — could pose as University of Southern California crew recruits to ensure their admission into the college.

• Since then, Lori and Mossimo have rejected a plea deal and been slapped with additional charges that could result in up to 50 years behind bars.

• Here's what Lori has been up to the past few months.

It's been several months since Lori Loughlin and 50 others were charged in the massive nationwide college admissions cheating scandal.

Back in March, prosecutors claimed Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, paid $500,000 in bribes to scammer William "Rick" Singer to get their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, recruited to the University of Southern California crew team so that they could get into the college.

In response to the charges, Lori and Mossimo pleaded not guilty and rejected a plea deal, because it included jail time. Shortly after, they were also given additional charges of money laundering and conspiracy, which, if convicted, could mean up to 40 years behind bars for the couple.

Then, in October, Lori and Mossimo were slapped with an additional bribery claim from the office of the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. The new charge could potentially add another decade onto their prison sentence if the couple is found guilty, according to Deadline.

A grand jury in Boston alleges that the couple and nine other parents committed federal program bribery by "bribing the employees of U.S.C. to facilitate their children's admission."

“In exchange for the bribes, employees of the university allegedly designated the defendants’ children as athletic recruits, with little or no regard for their athletic abilities, or as members of other favored admissions categories,” the release stated.

The charges were applied only to parents who have not opted to plead guilty to the initial indictment, per ABC News.

Lori and Mossimo were last seen on August 27 while at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, for a hearing. Unlike Lori's previous visit to court, where she was seen signing autographs on the courthouse steps, Lori and Mossimo slipped in through the back door.

According to CNN, the hearing's purpose was to sort out potential conflicts of interest with their attorneys in the case, since both Lori and her husband have selected their lawyers jointly from the firm Latham and Watkins. The firm has recently represented USC, which prosecutors argued could raise a potential conflict of interest.

In the end though, U.S. Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley allowed Latham and Watkins to work with the couple. And so, Lori and Mossimo answered routine questions from the judge and agreed to be represented by the same legal team. They declined to comment after leaving the courtroom.

Looking ahead, their upcoming trial is estimated to take place in early 2020. According to US Weekly, the couple believes they will be "exonerated" and have been "actively engaged in their defense." Back in April, reports indicated that Lori and Mossimo may use ignorance as their defense and say they didn't realize their $500,000 was being used as a bribe.

As People reported, Lori's life is looking much different nowadays. In the wake of the scandal, she was dropped from all her Hallmark Channel projects, including her role playing Abigail on When Calls the Heart. In addition, she will reportedly not be coming back for the fifth and final season of Netflix's Fuller House.

When it comes to Lori's family life though, it seems like her daughters are both on their mom's side. On Lori's 55th birthday on July 28, Bella shared a photo with her mom to mark the occasion. One day later, Olivia also posted a picture of herself and Lori, and said, "I love you so much."

Olivia in particular shut down outlets quoting "sources" that alleged there were problems in their family amid the news.

In light of the allegations against Lori and Mossimo though, Olivia has lost social media partnerships with Sephora, TRESemmé, and Estée Lauder. Both Olivia and Bella have since left USC, according to reports.

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