Lori Loughlin Hit With New Charges in College Scandal; Likely to Face 5 Years in Prison
The stakes have gotten much more serious for Full House actress Lori Loughlin. Reports today say the actress, best known as Aunt Becky, could face at least five years in prison (even as part of any plea deal).
Loughlin is among 15 parents who are facing new charges to commit fraud and money laundering as part of the nation’s largest college admissions scandal, which broke last month.
Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying $500,000 to a fake charity in exchange for their two daughters to be admitted to the University of Southern California for their crew team. Neither child participated in the sport.
Loughlin and the parents charged today did not enter a plea deal (as others in the case did) earlier this week. US Attorneys filed papers to charged them with an additional crime of money laundering.
This changes the game for Loughlin by DRASTICALLY increasing her sentence. The new charge alone carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison (in addition to any time from the original charges.
Previously, Loughlin was likely to only face two years behind bars with any plea deal. Well... that's gone up by a LOT.
TMZ reports that a plea deal for Loughlin and Giannulli is now likely to include about 5 years in prison with today's new charges.
Actress Felicity Huffman ("Desperate Housewives" star) was also indicted in the case. Huffman and 13 other defendants pled guilty in the case this week.
Huffman is allegedly paid $15,000 to a fake charity which helped boost her daughter’s SAT Scores. Per the charges, she currently faces up to 20 years in prison.
As part of this week's plea deal, federal prosecutors expected to recommend the lower end of her sentencing range. That's likely to be in the area of a $20,000 fine and 12 months of supervised release. A federal judge will have a final say in her sentence.