Aug. 21 (UPI) — Actor Lori Loughlin was sentenced to two months in federal prison and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, received five months Friday for taking part in a college admissions scam.
In May, Giannulli and Loughlin, best known for her role in the ABC comedy “Full House,” pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston to conspiring to fraudulently secure admission for their daughters to the University of Southern California, prosecutors said.
The couple first vigorously fought the charges but lost a bid to get them dismissed in May before entering their guilty pleas.
“I deeply regret the harm that my actions have caused my daughters, my wife and others,” Giannulli said in a statement during the hearing. “I take full responsibility for my conduct. I am ready to accept the consequences and move forward with the lessons I’ve learned from this experience.”
The judge also sentenced Loughlin to 150 hours of community service and ordered her to pay a $150,000 fine, and Giannulli to two years of supervised release, 250 hours of community service and a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.
Giannulli and Loughlin were part of a group of wealthy parents, college staffers and coaches caught in a scam led by William “Rick” Singer designed to get their children admitted to selective colleges.
As part of the scheme, Singer would work with college admissions personnel and coaches to fraudulently get the students admitted into some schools as athletes while facilitating cheating on entrance exams in other incidents.
In Giannulli and Loughlin’s case, their oldest daughter won provisional admission into USC as a rowing recruit, even though she never participated in the sport. A school athletic official received $50,000 in the scam, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said they believe Giannulli participated in the scheme more aggressively than Loughlin.
