"Fuller House" actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were just hit with more charges in the ever expanding college admissions scandal that broke last year. The pair was charged with paying out $500,000 to get their daughters into the University of Southern California. Now, they are among the 11 parents hit with new bribery charges by a Boston grand jury after refusing to plead guilty.
NBC News: Federal prosecutors have hit Lori Loughlin, Massimo Gianulli, and 9 other parents with a superseding indictment.
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) October 22, 2019
The indictment adds the charge of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery by allegedly sending bribes to employees of USC.
Loughlin and Giannulli rejected a plea deal earlier this year and maintained their innocence.
By contrast, "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty to trying to fix her daughter's SAT test in 2017.
“I have inflicted more damage than I could’ve ever imagined,” she said in her apology.
Huffman's tearful apology may have played a role in her rather lenient sentence. She faces just 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service.
A prosecutor recently warned Loughlin that she can expect a much harsher sentence.
“If she is convicted, we would probably ask for a higher sentence for her than we did for Felicity Huffman," Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said. "I can’t tell you what that would be."
Loughlin's daughters are no longer enrolled at USC, media reported today.