Lori Loughlin among those facing new charges in U.S. college admissions
scam
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[October 23, 2019]
By Nate Raymond
BOSTON (Reuters) - Actress Lori Loughlin is
facing a new bribery charge after federal prosecutors on Tuesday said
they brought additional charges against 18 wealthy parents, university
athletic officials and others accused of participating in the largest
U.S. college admissions scam ever uncovered.
The "Full House" star is one of 11 parents hit with new charges. Federal
prosecutors in Boston say Loughlin conspired to bribe University of
Southern California employees to secure the admission of her two
daughters.
She and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were previously
charged with conspiring to commit honest services fraud and money
laundering. They now face a new charge of conspiring to commit federal
programs bribery.
The new charges contained in the revised indictment filed against them
and the other parents adds to the potential maximum prison terms they
each face if convicted. In Loughlin's case, it jumped from 40 to 45
years, though she would likely get far less.
All 11 parents have previously pleaded not guilty.
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"Our goal from the beginning has been to hold the defendants fully
accountable for corrupting the college admissions process through
cheating, bribery and fraud," U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said.
Defense lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.
Prosecutors have charged 52 people with participating in a vast scheme
in which wealthy parents conspired with a California college admissions
consultant to use bribery and other forms of fraud to secure the
admission of their children to top schools.
William "Rick" Singer, the consultant, pleaded guilty in March to
charges he facilitated cheating on college entrance exams and helped
bribe sports coaches at universities to present his clients' children as
fake athletic recruits.
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![](../images/102319PIX/news_a1.jpg)
Actor Lori Loughlin, and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo
Giannulli, leave the federal courthouse after facing charges in a
nationwide college admissions cheating scheme, in Boston,
Massachusetts, U.S., April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
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The 35 parents charged since March include "Desperate Housewives"
star Felicity Huffman, who last week began serving a 14-day prison
term after pleading guilty.
Prosecutors allege that Loughlin and Giannulli agreed with Singer to
pay $500,000 to have their two daughters named as recruits to the
University of Southern California (USC) crew team, even though they
did not row competitively.
At an Aug. 27 hearing, William Trach, their attorney, argued that
"zero evidence" existed to support the allegations, saying they
believed they were providing legitimate donations to USC.
The new charges came a day after USC confirmed the couple's
daughters, Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Rose Giannulli, were
no longer enrolled at the school.
Four other parents, including former Pimco Chief Executive Douglas
Hodge and Hercules Capital Inc founder Manuel Henriquez, pleaded
guilty on Monday after prosecutors agreed to not bring additional
charges against them if they did so.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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