Lori Loughlin’s College Scandal Case Dismissal Motion Denied
Lori Loughlin's motion to dismiss the college admissions scheme case has been denied.
The Fuller House star's attempt to have all charges dropped against her and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, was dismissed by the U.S. Attorney Wednesday (April 8) with the court arguing the couple knew the money they gave scam ring leader William "Rick" Singer was a bribe and not a "legitimate donation," as they claimed.
Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 to get their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella, into the University of Southern California by pretending they were recruits for the USC crew team — even though neither of them had ever participated in the sport.
“The defendants are charged with conspiring to engage in a single, sweeping scheme to gain admission for their children to college by, among other things, lying about their academic and athletic qualifications so that complicit coaches, induced by bribes styled as 'donations' to their programs, could purport to recruit them as elite athletes," the court filing reads.
"Just because neither Singer nor the defendants actually used the word 'bribe' to describe the purported donations doesn’t mean that they were legitimate," the document continues.
Loughlin and Giannulli, who pleaded not guilty to a number of charges, including fraud and bribery in April 2019, are scheduled to go on trial on October 5 and could face up to 50 years in prison if they're convicted.