Today Fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli has reported to prison to begin serving his five-month sentence for bribing his daughter’s way into college.
His wife, “Full House” actor Lori Loughlin is already behind bars for her role in the college admissions bribery scheme, which involved prominent parents and elite schools across the country. She began her two-month prison term last month.
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons said the Giannulli is in custody at a federal prison in Lompoc near Santa Barbara, California. His wife, Loughlin, is serving her time at a federal lockup in Dublin, California.
Authorities say that the couple was the most high-profile parents charged in the scheme, which involved hefty bribes in getting undeserving teens into schools with rigged test scores or bogus athletic credentials.
In May, the couple admitted to paying half a million dollars to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as crew recruits even though neither girl was a rower. Their guilty plea was a stunning reversal for the couple, whose lawyers insisted for a year that they were innocent and accused investigators of fabricating evidence against them.
They were both ordered to report to prison on Nov. 19, but prosecutors and the defense agreed that Loughlin could begin her sentence on Oct. 30. Loughlin agreed that she would not seek early release from prison on grounds related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Loughlin was also ordered to pay a $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service, and Giannulli has to pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service.
According to court filings, Prosecutors recorded phone calls and emails showing that the couple had worked with the mastermind of the scheme, admissions consultant Rick Singer, to get their daughters into USC with fake athletic profiles depicting them as star rowers. “Fantastic. Will get all,” Giannulli responded and sent Singer the photo.
The admissions consultant, Rick Singer, secretly worked with investigators and recorded his conversations with parents and coaches to help build the case against them. Nearly sixty people have been charged in the scheme. Singer, who is expected to testify against any defendants who go to trial, has not yet been sentenced. More than 40 people have already pleaded guilty.
Prison terms for the parents ensnared in the scheme range from nine months to a couple of weeks. Other parents who’ve served time behind bars in the case include “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman, who was sentenced to 14 days for paying $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT score.
