A federal judge denied a motion to dismiss the charges against actress Lori Loughlin, her husband Mossimo Giannulli and 12 others charged in the college admissions case.
Loughlin’s lawyers alleged the government mishandled the investigation and failed to turn evidence in a timely manner, but the judge was not ultimately convinced.
“After consideration of the extensive briefing, affidavits and other information provided by the government and defendants, the Court is satisfied that the government has not lied to or misled the Court,” Judge Nathaniel Gorton wrote in part.
He continued, referencing the allegation that the ringleader of the scheme, Rick Singer, was pressured by authorities to talk defendants into spilling the beans: “Whether Singer's calls in October 2018, were consistent with his prior representations of his ‘program; and whether they demonstrate that defendants believed their payments to be legitimate donations rather than bribes is an issue squarely for the jury after a trial on the merits.”
As followers of Varsity Blues doubtless recall, Loughlin and Giannulli have been accused of shelling out $500K in a fraudulent bid to get their daughters, Olivia Jade and Bella, into University of Southern California. They, and 12 others, pleaded not guilty. Dozens of others were also accused, and many pleaded guilty. Fellow celeb Felicity Huffman apologized profusely, served 11 days behind bars, and has moved on.
They are scheduled for court in October. If convicted, Loughlin and Giannulli face up to 40 years behind bars.
A source tells ET that “Lori is convinced she did nothing wrong and wasn't expecting the judge to side against her. Despite her set back, she has no plans to back down from her non guilty plea. She strongly believes that bribery scam ring-leader Rick Singer misrepresented himself and, because she thought he'd acted on behalf of the school, she feels she is innocent.”
The source adds that Loughlin “never in her life thought that she would ever be in this position, and it's almost like a bad dream she can't wake up from. Lori is determined to prove her innocence and she won't back down.”