You’ve heard it probably a thousand times before by now but just as a refresher – former “Fuller House” actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli allegedly bribed the University of Southern California’s Crew team in the amount of $500,000 to admit their daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose.
In a nationwide probe by the FBI, approximately fifty people were charged for trying to manipulate the college system to admit their children. Loughlin and Giannulli are in the most trouble out of all of them.
And one lawyer representing three of the parents charged in the college admissions scandal had this incredibly bleak thing to say about Loughlin and Giannulli’s upcoming case against the federal government.
If Lori Loughlin and Giannulli had admitted their fault and threw themselves before the mercy of the federal judge then they would be in much better shape then they are now.
Instead, both of them maintained their innocence and decided to go to court against the government. When prosecutors learned of their decision, they slapped a money laundering charge on top of their mail fraud charge and now they each face up to 40 years in prison.
That’s a lot of time in which they could effectively spend most or all of the rest of their lives in prison if they get the maximum.
It’s the sheer arrogance of both of them initially that was astounding. When Loughlin appeared for her arraignment in New York City following the initial charges she stopped to sign autographs and pose for pictures with fans. Nothing says this individual understands the gravity of the situation like stopping for a good ole public relations move.
They’re in serious trouble.
And a lawyer representing three of the parents indicted during the same FBI probe, Larry Levine, believes Loughlin and Giannulli are “screwed.”
In an interview with The Mercury News he said that Loughlin was “living in a dream world,” and “doesn’t have a grasp on the reality about how these federal prosecutions work.”
Usually lawyers would advise their clients of the best solution but ultimately it’s entirely up to them whether they want to accept the prosecutors plea deal or not. Loughlin and Giannulli likely told their high-powered attorneys, Latham & Watkins, they would fight this with the presumption they wouldn’t see the inside of a jail.
And Levine says the couple’s reluctance to accept responsibility for the charges against them will likely “come into play at sentencing.”
Whoever is handing down the sentencing – probably the judge in this case – is more likely to be lenient against those that admit fault and express remorse for their actions. That’s what happened with former “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman who was only sentenced to four months in prison because she admitted her wrongdoing immediately and apologized to the court.
Levine added, “They’ve got enough to convict you.”
And Levine isn’t the only one who thinks that Loughlin made a mistake when she didn’t accept a plea deal. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said parents who claimed that they did not know their payments were bribes was “weak” and “completely contradicts the evidence in the case.”
Huffman’s lawyer clearly knew this and that’s why she was wise to accept her fate.
In the meantime, a source close to the Loughlin-Giannulli family said the 54-year-old former actress deeply “regretted” not taking the initial plea deal – whatever amount of time they initially offered her.
This is just how the justice game is played. If you don’t admit fault and force them to spend taxpayer money to put you away then they will go after you with the fullest extent of the law.
