Lori Loughlin And Husband Among Parents Facing New Bribery Charges
Actress Lori Loughlin is among the 11 parents indicted on new bribery charges Tuesday as part of this year’s massive college admissions scandal.
The parents charged in the superseding indictments are among the 15 who’ve pleaded their innocence in the high-profile case that’s been ongoing since March. All of the 11 defendants are accused of bribing employees of the University of Southern California in order to secure their children’s admission to the elite school.
“The charge of federal programs bribery provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater,” the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts said Tuesday.
The “Fuller House” star, along with her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli, are among the most famous people indicted in the scandal. They are accused of paying half a million dollars for a third party to get their daughters into USC by feigning their qualifications for the university’s rowing team.
Tuesday’s indictments come after prosecutors warned the group of parents last week that if they didn’t plead guilty by Monday to the fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges they were already facing, they could be slapped with bribery charges as well.
In addition to new charges against the parents, the prosecutor issued new indictments Tuesday against seven university athletic officials from various schools over charges of committing federal program bribery.
Meanwhile, actress Felicity Huffman, another of the scandal’s most high-profile figures, is halfway through her 14-day sentence at a federal prison in Dublin, California, for paying $15,000 to have someone alter her daughter’s SAT answers. She has also agreed to pay a $30,000 fine as part of her plea deal.
Andrew Lelling, the U.S. attorney overseeing the case against Loughlin and her husband, made an ominous warning toward the couple earlier this month, saying his office will probably ask for a “substantially higher” sentence than Huffman’s.
Clarification: Language has been amended to describe the charges against Huffman more accurately.
Related Coverage
California Parent Gets 5 Months In Jail For College Admissions Scheme
U.S. Attorney Has An Ominous Warning For Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli About Prison Time
Felicity Huffman Reports To Prison For Sentence In College Bribery Scandal
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
