Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli Sentenced in College Admissions Scandal

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Category: World News

Published on Saturday, 22 August 2020 17:41

Written by Janet Walker

Actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli were sentenced for their participation in Operation Varsity Blues, the widespread college admissions scandal that caught many wealthy parents cheating to secure their children's acceptance to selective universities.

Loughlin, 56, and Massimo, 57, were two of the highest profile parents arrested in scandal and paid more than $500,000 to ensure their daughters were given athletic consideration as crew recruits. Neither had played the sport.

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Both appeared separately before U.S. District Court Judge Nathanial Gorton, via Zoom. Loughlin choked back tears when speaking to the judge directly.

"I went along with a plan to give my daughters an unfair advantage in the college admissions process," Loughlin said during her virtual sentencing hearing. "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," CNN reported.

She received two months in prison; Giannulli received five months. The pair have until November 9, 2020 to report to an undisclosed location to begin their sentences.

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"Gorton also ordered Loughlin and Giannulli to pay respective fines of $150,000 and $250,000 and complete 100 and 250 hours of community service. He said he was "dumbfounded" by how Loughlin could aid the corruption of the higher education system," The New York Times reported.

From Hollywood to New York's Corporate law firms, more than 55 parents and 11 college coaches and administrators, were arrested in a multi-million-dollar scam which paid over $25 million to Rick Singer who, along with a network of affluent university sport coaches, would agree to consider a student as a sports recruit.

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To facilitate the scam, a variety of methods were used including building a sports profile, photo-shopping the student's face on the body of another more skilled athlete, still photos of the children appearing to "practice."

The scam sent shockwaves through the higher education system, as many of the top ranked academic universities were among those defrauded through Singer who facilitated both admissions fraud and college admissions testing fraud.

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Twenty-five of the parents charged have pleaded guilty and have or will soon begin their serving their sentences. Actress Felicity Huffman was also charged, pleaded guilty and has served her sentence.