Ever since defendants began receiving their sentences in thecollege admissions scandal, the question las loomed: what will be the eventual fates ofFull HouseactressLori Loughlinand her husbandMossimo Giannulli?
Loughlin and Giannulli have been accused of doing nearly the same thing. They allegedly paid $500,000 to admissions consultant William Singer to falsely designate daughtersOlivia Jade Giannulli, 20, andIsabella Rose Giannulli, 21, as recruits to the USC crew team, though neither actuallyparticipated in the sport.
“These cases are very similar,” saysGMAlegal analyst Dan Abrams. “It’s almost the same amount of money. It’s two kids. It’s faking the profiles, etc.”
“Now this was a guilty plea,” Abrams continued. “This was someone who’s accepted responsibility for it, and is still getting six months. So you’ve got to believe if [Loughlin] were to take it to trial, with the additional charge that’s been thrown on her, if she was convicted, she’d be looking at a few years. I wouldn’t be surprised if she got 2 to 3 years if she’s convicted.”
Mossimo Giannulli and Lori Loughlin.Donato Sardella/Getty Images for LACMA
“There’s a similarity to the cases,” a source close to Loughlin acknowledged to PEOPLE last week. “And they’re smart enough to see that. So they’re very concerned. If this guy pleaded guilty and was still given six months, what does that mean for them? If they’re convicted, their sentences are going to be very severe. Also, they face more charges than Mr. McFarlane did. They’re very discouraged.”
In addition to charges of money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud, Loughlin and Giannulli were handed anadditional federal chargelast month: one count each of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery.
They now face up to 45 years in prison, although it seems unlikely they’ll serve such a harsh sentence.
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Nic Antaya for The Boston Globe via Getty
Meanwhile,Felicity Huffmanwasreleasedthree days early from her 14-day prison term in October. Unlike MacFarlane, theDesperate Housewivesstar didn’t lie about her daughter’s athletic ability but instead paid Singer $15,000 to have a proctor change her SAT answers after she took the test.
Huffman is now servingcommunity service, of which she was sentenced to 250 hours.
As the case against Loughlin and Giannulli moves forward, the legal source tells PEOPLE that they’re trying to think about other things. “It’s very hard for Lori not to obsess about this case and what her future will be,” says the source. “She knows that she should focus on all the good things in her life, but it’s almost impossible for her to do it. This is hanging over her head every single day.”
source: people.com
