Full House star Lori Loughlin and her designer husband Mossimo Giannulli were sentenced to two and five months in federal prison respectively for shelling out $500,000 to get their daughters Olivia Jade and Bella into University of Southern California under false pretenses.
LOUGHLIN SPEAKS OUT
During her sentencing hearing, she said: “I went along with a plan to give my daughters an unfair advantage in the college admissions process. In doing so I ignored my intuition and allowed myself to be swayed from my moral compass. I thought I was acting out of love for my children. But in reality, it only undermined and diminished my daughters' abilities and accomplishments.”
Loughlin added tearfully, wiping tears from her face: “While I wish I could go back and do things differently, I can only take responsibility and move forward. I am truly, profoundly and deeply sorry. I'm ready to face the consequences and make amends.”
GIANNULLI SPEAKS OUT
During his virtual sentencing hearing, he said: “I deeply regret the harm that my actions have caused my daughters, my wife and others. I take full responsibility for my conduct. I'm ready to accept the consequences and move forward with the lessons I've learned from this experience.”
The pair proclaimed their innocence for 14 months before pleading guilty to fraud in May. She will also serve two years of supervised release, with 100 hours of community service, and pay $150K; he will get two years of supervised release, with 250 hours of community service, and pay $250K.
REACTION
Twitter felt she got a slap on the wrist, and US District Judge Nathaniel Gorton had strong words for the pair as well too.
Addressing Loughlin, he said: “you stand before me a convicted felon, and for what? For the inexplicable desire to grab more. To have whatever prestige and instant gratification that comes from being able to show off the admission of your daughters to a preferred university.”
Earlier in the day, Gorton told Giannulli that he “certainly did know better.”
“You were not stealing bread to feed your family,” Gorton said. “You have no excuse for your crime. And that makes it all the more blameworthy.”
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich tweeted: “Lori Loughlin was just sentenced to two months in prison for paying bribes to get her daughters into USC. This is the same system that sentenced Crystal Mason, a Black mother of three, to five years for voting when she didn't realize a past felony conviction made her ineligible.”
Another critic tweeted: “Lori Loughlin gets two months in jail. There’s a man caged in Prince George’s County, MD jail who pled 6 months ago to petty theft & *still hasn’t gotten his sentencing hearing.*”
Both must surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on November 19th.