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Hollywood Couple Agrees to Plead Guilty in College Admissions Scandal

VOA Student Union

   A Hollywood actress and her fashion-designer husband have agreed to
   plead guilty in a university admissions scandal in which their
   daughters were falsely portrayed as a sports champion.

   Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli have agreed to plead guilty to
   charges of conspiracy to secure "fraudulent admission" of their two
   children to the University of Southern California (USC), according to
   the U.S. Department of Justice.

   IFRAME: [1]https://www.voanews.com/media/2047406/embed

   The Justice Department stated that Loughlin agreed to two months in
   prison, a $150,000 fine and two years of supervised release with 100
   hours of community service. Giannulli's plea agreement includes five
   months in prison, a $250,000 fine and two years of supervised release
   with 250 hours of community service.

   Loughlin, 55, and Giannulli, 56, both of Los Angeles, have long fought
   the charges that they fabricated their daughters' skill at rowing
   through an admissions' fixer to gain her entry to the prestigious USC.
   Earlier this month, a federal judge refused to drop charges against the
   couple who had alleged that the Justice Department fabricated evidence.

   The couple was accused of paying $500,000 to William "Rick" Singer for
   his help securing them slots at USC through a sports recruiter. In a
   video on social media, their daughter, Olivia Jade, talked about being
   more interested in the social rather than scholastic aspects of
   attending USC.

   The Justice Department stated that Loughlin will "plead guilty to one
   count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, while Giannulli will
   plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud
   and honest services wire and mail fraud."

   Loughlin and Giannulli are the 23rd and 24th parents to plead guilty in
   the college admissions case.

References

   1. https://www.voanews.com/media/2047406/embed

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