/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f9c77cca03426a91d7cc4d3/0x0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,837&ssl=1 "Lori Loughlin Starts Prison Sentence For Role In College Admissions Scandal")
Topline
Actress Lori Loughlin has reported to a federal prison in Dublin, California, to start a two-month sentence after she and her husband pled guilty to committing fraud to get their daughters into the University of Southern California in the 2019 college admissions scandal known as “Operation Varsity Blues.”
Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, wearing a green tie, leave court in Boston … [+]
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Key Facts
Prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts, which was responsible for all the charges in the nationwide scheme in which wealthy parents fraudulently won admission for their children into elite universities, told AP that Loughlin agreed not to file for an early release due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Prosecutors told AP that Loughlin will be tested for coronavirus and will quarantine for two weeks per prison health guidelines.
Key Background
In March 2019, the U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts announced that 50 people were arrested and charged for their involvement in the college admissions scheme which implicated elite schools, including Georgetown, Yale and Stanford. The U.S. Attorney’s office said the scandal involved falsifying standardized test scores and falsely admitting students as athletic recruits. Prosecutors said Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, paid $500,000 to the organizer, Rick Singer, to get their two daughters admitted as crew team recruits despite the fact that neither row. In May, Loughlin pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, according to a plea agreement submitted to the U.S. District Court judge in Boston. In August, Loughlin was sentenced to two months in prison, two years of supervised release and 100 hours of community service and required to pay a $150,000 fine.
Tangent
Another actress embroiled in the scandal, Felicity Huffman, served her sentence at the same prison last October, according to NBC News. Last March, she pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, according to her plea agreement. She was sentenced to two weeks in prison and one year of supervised release, 250 hours of community service and had to pay a $30,000 fine. Prosecutors said she paid $15,000 for someone to proctor and change her daughter’s SAT.
Further Reading
Actress Lori Loughlin reports to prison in college scam (AP)
Felicity Huffman reports to prison, begins sentence in college admissions scandal (NBC News)
Actresses, Business Leaders and Other Wealthy Parents Charged in U.S. College Entry Fraud (New York Times)
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