Lori Loughlin, an actress, and her partner, designer Mossimo Giannulli, have reached a plea agreement to admit guilt to charges of conspiracy. The couple sought to unlawfully ensure their children’s admission to the University of Southern California. This admission follows an investigation into the largest college admissions scandal in America, where wealthy parents, including Loughlin and Giannulli, used bribes and fraudulent means to secure admission for their children to top colleges and universities. They are to plead guilty on Friday to conspiracy charges involving mail and wire fraud, agreeing to serve 2 and 5 months in prison, respectively. The couple will collectively be fined $400,000. US attorney Andrew Lelling stated that the plea deals ensure a fair and representative prison sentence for their roles in the university admissions fraud. The admissions consultant, William “Rick” Singer, pleaded guilty to criminally facilitating cheating experiences and using bribes to deceive parents about their children’s admission to schools as fraudulent athletic recruits. Among the 36 parents charged, 24 will have pleaded guilty by Friday, including actress Felicity Huffman, who received a 14-day prison sentence. The other parents include professionals in securities, real estate and trading, as well as the co-chairman of a law firm. The scam has been ongoing since 2011 and also involved Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, and University of Texas. Lelling referred to the accused parents as displaying indicators of wealth and privilege.
