Lori Loughlin Released From Prison After Serving Two Months in College Admissions Scandal
Husband Mossimo Giannulli is still serving his five-month sentence.
After pleading guilty in May to her involvement in the now-infamous University of Southern California college admissions scandal, Lori Loughlin was released from a Dublin, California, federal prison on December 28th, having served her full two-month sentence. Her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, is still currently serving his five-month sentence at a prison near Santa Barbara, California, and is scheduled to be released in mid-April.
On top of serving prison time, Loughlin will also be forced to pay a $150,000 fine and dedicate 100 hours to community service, according to USA Today. She’ll also live under supervised release rules and regulations for the next two years. Giannulli is on the hook for $250,000, two years of supervised release, and 250 hours of community service.
Loughlin and Giannulli put $500,000 toward bribes to get both their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, into USC as crew team recruits, despite neither daughter having any rowing experience. For a year after their initial arrest in March 2019, Loughlin and Giannulli maintained their innocence, stating they believed they were making “legitimate donations” to USC, as USA Today reports.
The couple ultimately both took plea deals after prosecutors agreed to drop the bribery and money laundering charges, each of which carried a heavier sentence.
Olivia Jade opened up about the college admissions scandal on a recent episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Facebook show Red Table Talk, during which she disclosed, “I don’t want pity. I don’t deserve pity. We messed up. I just want a second chance to be like, I recognize I messed up.”
Over 60 parents, college officials, and coaches were charged with their involvement in the bribery scandal, and many are still fighting their charges in court. Though many have argued that the punishments (or lack thereof) given to these high-profile people have not fit the crimes, we can only hope that this dark mark on their records will inspire them to use their platform and income for good going forward.
