The conviction puts an end to the saga for Loughlin, probably the highest-profile parent who allowed her to pay the mastermind of the scheme, William Rick Singer, $ 500,000 to take care of both her daughters at the University of Southern California. get.
Loughlin, a TV star who played Aunt Becky in the sitcom “Full House,” and Giannulli, a fashion designer, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, and profited from what Singer calls his “side door” in college by creating fake profiles for the girls and passing them on as recruits on the crew team.
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday formally demanded that Loughlin be sentenced to two months in prison and Giannulli five months. Giannulli also faces a $ 250,000 fine and 250 hours of community service, while Loughlin would receive a $ 150,000 fine and 100 hours of community service. Each would receive two years of supervision release.
“He worked more frequently with Singer, directed the bribes to USC and Singer, and personally confronted his daughter’s high school principal to prevent the scheme from being discovered, angry about his daughter’s athletic abilities,” Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling wrote. in Massachusetts the detention memo released on Tuesday.
Loughlin took a less active role, but was nevertheless completely complicated, pulling Singer for a second time for her younger daughter, and coaching her daughter to say ‘not too much’ against the legitimate college counselor of her high school, that he did not commit her fraud. ”
Because of the kind of plea agreement that Loughlin, Giannulli and prosecutors have concluded, the judge will have very little room to dismiss the agreed deal. Giannulli is scheduled to be sentenced Friday at 11 a.m., and Loughlin is expected to be sentenced by noon.
“The case went south over the prosecutors,” said CNN legal analyst Elie Honig, who cited evidence that Loughlin’s defense attorneys argued that she and Giannulli thought they were donating to a legitimate company. “Those documents were potentially devastating to the case of the prosecution and reduced the chances of the prosecutors getting a conviction at trial.”
Word of the evidence came to light in December, when lawyers from Loughlin and Giannulli alleged that iPhone notes from Singer’s mobile device alleged that FBI agents were aggressively speaking out against him over his recorded conversations with suspects, and they alleged investigative abuse. They also claimed that prosecutors had not provided this evidence sufficiently, only eight months before an October trial, and that they did not have enough time to prepare.
Couple could face up to 20 years in prison
U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton denied a motion to dismiss the charges, saying the evidence could be debated at trial. Gorton also wrote in his decision that the defense had ample time and that the failure to transfer the notes was “irresponsible” and “wrong” not “intentional”, due to prosecutors’ invisible underestimation of the context, relevance and potential exculpatory nature of the notes. “
However, the exculpatory evidence opened the door for a good deal for Loughlin and Giannulli, Honig said.
“There is always a risk to go to trial. If she had gone to trial and been convicted, she would have received shipments wisely,” the legal analyst said. “It’s a deal that I think both ways makes sense, but that reflects that the prosecutor’s case really took an unexpected turn.”
To date, 55 suspects have been charged in connection with the college admission scandal, and of those, 41 have pleaded guilty or pleaded guilty, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Of those, 28 parents, including Loughlin and Giannulli, pleaded not guilty at first. Twenty parents have been convicted, while 13 others, including coaches, administrators, members of the group of Singer and Mark Riddell, the expert test maker, have pleaded guilty or pleaded guilty.
Actress Felicity Huffman, the other former-profile parent who should be charged in the crime scheme, pleaded guilty and spent 11 days in jail. She was released in October and has not spoken publicly about the incident.
Huffman, who accepted responsibility from the beginning, was convicted by U.S. District Judge Judge Indira Talwani, who was also considered more lenient in her sentencing, according to courtroom insiders.
Loughlin and Giannulli went into what is known in the federal system as a “C Plea.” The plea reduces the power of the judge to deviate from the terms already agreed. If Gorton, known for struggling with conviction, accepts the plea in court, which he expects to do, then he also agrees to accept the “C Plea”.
Attorney Robert Fisher, who represented John Vandemoer, the former Stanford sailing coach who pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in the college admission scam, described Gorton as strict but fair.
“He’s one of the heavier sentencers,” said Fisher, of Nixon Peabody’s law firm.
If Loughlin and Giannulli had gone to trial and been convicted, they could have served up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy theorist, prosecutors said.
“With her guidelines, she could have seen significantly more time after trial,” Fisher said. “Two months will be a major departure from the original sentencing guidelines.”
.
