College admissions scandal: Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli face sentencing

Couple have both pleaded guilty

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli exit the Boston Federal Court house after a pre-trial hearing on 27 August 2019. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli will be sentenced today in the college admissions scandal case.

The sentencing comes more than a year after the pair were charged with paying half a million dollars in bribes to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California.

Both have pleaded guilty to participating in the cheating scheme.

Loughlin’s plea deal with prosecutors calls for her to spend two months behind bars, while Giannulli’s calls for him to serve five months.

They will be sentenced in separate hearings held via video conference because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The judge said at their plea hearings that he would decide whether to accept their unusual deals with prosecutors after reviewing the presentencing report, a document that contains background on defendants and helps guide sentencing decisions.

Unlike most plea agreements, in which the judge remains free to decide the defendant’s sentence, Loughlin and Giannulli’s proposed prison terms are binding if the judge accepts the deals.

Under the plea deal, Giannulli would also pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service. Loughlin would pay a $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service.

The couple are among nearly 30 prominent parents who have admitted to charges in the scheme. Ten parents are still fighting the charges.

​Lawyers for Loughlin and Giannulli had insisted for more than a year that the couple believed their payments were “legitimate donations.” They also accused prosecutors of hiding crucial evidence that could prove the couple’s innocence because it would undermine their case.

Loughlin and Giannulli’s about-face came shortly after the judge rejected their bid to dismiss the case over allegations of misconduct by federal agents.

​The couple has not made any public statements since their arrest and — unlike every other parent sentenced to far in the case — they did not submit letters expressing regret or notes of support from family and friends to the judge ahead of their sentencing.

Loughlin pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Giannulli pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss charges of money laundering and federal programmes bribery that were added after the case was filed.

Prosecutors told the judge this week that Giannulli deserves a tougher sentence because he was “the more active participant in the scheme,” while Loughlin ”took a less active role, but was nonetheless fully complicit.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report