On March 12, 2019, a shocking revelation rocked the education sector as celebrities Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were among those indicted in a scandalous college admissions scam.
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli
The indictment revealed that Loughlin, along with her husband Mossimo Giannulli, reportedly forked out an astounding ,000 in bribes. This unscrupulous act was done to misrepresent their daughters, Bella and Olivia Jade, as USC crew team recruits, a dishonest tactic used to ease their daughters' entry into college.
The authorities didn't stop at the initial fraud allegations against the couple. Loughlin and Giannulli were soon faced with added charges of money laundering and bribery. At first, the couple refused to admit to guilt, pleading not guilty to the charges. It was not until May of 2020 that they changed their tune and accepted a plea deal. By August 2020, both appeared before the judge via Zoom, a necessary adaptation due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Felicity Huffman
Joining Loughlin in this controversial debacle was fellow actress Felicity Huffman. Huffman's alleged involvement hinged on a supposedly ,000 “charitable contribution” that was anything but generous. This payment was reported to be part of a college entrance exam cheating scheme for her eldest daughter, Sophia.
Alongside her husband, William H. Macy, Huffman also has a second daughter, Georgia. Although it was considered, Huffman ultimately decided against involving her younger daughter in the fraudulent scheme.
Huffman's guilty plea resulted in a 14-day prison sentence for the fraud charges. With her role in the scandal exposed and sentence handed down, she issued an apology, expressing remorse for her actions. Her guilt reached a peak when she admitted to paying for the improvement of Sophia's SAT scores