Full House actress Lori Loughlin and her husband (fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli) — amongst other parents — have been reported via The Washington Post, as pleading not guilty to the charges filed against them in the recent college admissions scandal case.
According to court documents, Loughlin and her husband currently stand to be charged for “fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy” in an alleged bribery scheme aimed at granting her two daughters admission to the University of Southern California. An attorney for the couple declined to comment.
Both, through signed court documents, also waived their federal court appearances in Boston for a scheduled arraignment on Monday, confirming their motion to file as not guilty in the ongoing case. Although, prosecutors haven’t backed down and continue to allege that the couple gave a total of “$500,000 to facilitate admission” of their daughters to USC’s crew team.
Prosecutors are also after thirty-three other parents, who are being charged with paying bribes to get their children into prestigious collegiate schools as well. Admission consultant William “Rick” Singer has further been named as the mastermind behind the whole operation, and has plead guilty to “racketeering conspiracy and other crimes” despite fully cooperating with the authorities.
Among the other accused, thirteen have recently plead guilty to “conspiring to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.” One defendant being actress Felicity Huffman; all are scheduled to appear for plea hearings next month in U.S. District Court in Boston. So far, no word on what penalty the defendants will face has been released.
Court documents also show that defendants: Gamal Abdelaziz, I-Hsin “Joey” Chen, Amy Colburn, Gregory Colburn, Michelle Janavs, Elisabeth Kimmel, David Sidoo, and Robert Zangrillo have plead “not guilty” as well. Reportedly, relying heavily on the court’s ruling of whether or not their “donations” will be perceived as actual bribes after the investigation. In all, fifty people have been charged.