Lori Loughlin and husband, Mossimo Giannulli, will be spending months in jail and their daughters were devastated. Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade Giannulli fear for their parents in prison after the couple agreed to plead guilty in the college admission scandal.
Us Weekly reported that the siblings were glad to see an end to the scandal their family has been embroiled in for more than a year. However, Isabella, 21, and Olivia, 20, were heartbroken after their parents told them their decision to enter a guilty plea.
The siblings fear for their actress mother's life behind bars. Isabella and Olivia were also, reportedly, spending a lot of time at their parents' house and the family has become closer since the scandal broke.
The U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed on Thursday that Lori and her fashion designer husband agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud. Mossimo Giannulli will also reportedly plead guilty to honest-services-wire and mail fraud.
Under the plea agreements, the Fuller House actress agreed to serve two months in prison, perform 100 hours of community service, and pay a $150,000 fine. Giannulli, on the other hand, will serve five months behind bars, will pay $250,000 fine, and will do 250 hours of community service.
The agreement is not yet final as a judge still needs to agree to the plea deal. Lori and Mossimo are set to enter their pleas Friday morning via video conference.
Us Weekly quoted image consultant Amanda Sanders as saying Lori's back was up against a wall. Sanders said the When Calls the Heart actress has no choice but to accept a deal as her trial loomed.
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli were among the several celebrities who faced trial last year because of their involvement in the scheme to cheat and bribe in the highly-competitive college admissions process. The couple was arrested in March 2019.
They were accused of paying half a million to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as rowing recruits. It was later revealed that Isabella and Olivia never competed in the sport.
If they did not reach a plea agreement with the prosecutors and they eventually got convicted of the charges, Lori and Mossimo will each serve up to 40 years in prison. The decision to enter a guilty plea came a few weeks after a judge rejected the couple's bid to toss the case over allegations of misconduct by federal authorities. The pair previously accused prosecutors of withholding crucial information about their case and also claimed investigators made up evidence against them.
