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Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer
Mossimo Giannulli, have agreed to serve two months and five
months in prison, respectively, under plea agreements that are
subject to approval by a federal judge in Boston.
They are expected to appear before the judge during a hearing
conducted through the Zoom videoconferencing platform due to
restrictions on in-court proceedings amid the coronavirus
pandemic.
Loughlin and Giannulli agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to
commit wire and mail fraud, and to pay fines of $150,000 and
$250,000, respectively.
They are among 53 people charged with participating in a scheme
where wealthy parents conspired with a California college
admissions consultant to use bribery and fraud to secure their
children's admission to top schools.
The consultant, William "Rick" Singer, pleaded guilty last year
to facilitating cheating on college entrance exams and using
bribery to secure the admission of parents' children to schools
as fake athletic recruits.
Prosecutors allege Loughlin, 55, and Giannulli, 56, agreed with
Singer to pay $500,000 in bribes to get their two daughters,
Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose Giannulli, admitted to USC as fake
crew team recruits.
The couple had been scheduled to face trial in October alongside
several other parents.
By Friday, 24 of the 36 parents charged will have pleaded
guilty, including "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman,
who received a 14-day prison sentence.
The longest sentence a parent has received was the nine-month
term imposed on Douglas Hodge, the former chief executive of
investment firm Pimco.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Tom Brown)
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