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Lori Loughlin faces new charges in college admissions scandal
Oct
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Full House actress Lori Loughlin, her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, and nine other parents were indicted Tuesday on new federal charges as prosecutors pressure them to admit guilt in a college admissions bribery scheme.
A grand jury in Boston indicted the parents on charges of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. The count accuses the parents of attempting to bribe officials at an organization that receives at least $10,000 in federal funding.
The bribery charges carry a possible sentence of up to ten years incarceration along with a fine of up to $100,000, though all of the sentences already handed down in relation to the case have been for far less than that.
All eleven named in the new indictments have previously pleaded not guilty to other charges in the scheme.
It’s the second time prosecutors have added new charges for parents pleading not guilty in the case. In April, they added money laundering to the initial charges of fraud and conspiracy.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling in Boston said the latest charges stem from an ongoing investigation. The charges will further his goal of holding the defendants “fully accountable for corrupting the college admissions process through cheating, bribery and fraud,” he said in a written statement.
Lawyers for Loughlin and Giannulli did not immediately respond to the charges. The couple are accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters admitted to the University of Southern California as recruits on the crew team, even though neither participated in the sport. Loughlin and Giannulli have pleaded not guilty.
Others indicted on the new charge include William McGlashan, who co-founded an investment fund with U2’s Bono in 2017, and Robert Zangrillo, a prominent Miami real estate developer.
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