In this April 3, 2019 file photo, actor Lori Loughlin, front, and husband, clothing designer Mossimo Giannulli, left, depart federal court in Boston after facing charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. Loughlin was released from federal prison in Dublin, Calif., Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, after spending two months behind bars for paying half a million dollars in bribes to get her two daughters into college. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
By Alanna Durkin Richer
“Full House” actor Lori Loughlin was released from prison Monday after spending two months behind bars for paying half a million dollars in bribes to get her two daughters into college.
Loughlin was released from the federal lockup in Dublin, California, where she had been serving her sentence for her role in the college admissions bribery scheme, the federal Bureau of Prisons said. Her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, is serving his five-month sentence at a prison in Lompoc near Santa Barbara, California.
Loughlin and Giannulli were both initially supposed to report to prison on Nov. 19, but prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed Loughlin could start her sentence on Oct. 30. Loughlin also agreed that she would not seek early release on coronavirus-related grounds, prosecutors said.
Giannulli is scheduled to be released on April 17, the Bureau of Prisons says.
Loughlin and Giannulli were among the highest-profile defendants charged in the scheme, which revealed the lengths to which some wealthy parents will go to get their children into elite universities.
The famous couple admitted in May to paying $500,000 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 had insisted for a year were innocent and accused investigators of fabricating evidence against them.
The only public comments either Loughlin or Giannulli made about the case since their arrest last year came at their sentencing hearings in August. Loughlin told the judge her actions “helped exacerbate existing inequalities in society” and pledged to do everything in her power to use her experience as a “catalyst to do good."
Their younger daughter, social media influencer Olivia Jade, made her first public remarks about the scandal this month on the series “Red Table Talk." Olivia Jade said she doesn't want or deserve pity.
“We messed up. I just want a second chance to be like, ‘I recognize I messed up.’ And for so long I wasn’t able to talk about this because of the legalities behind it," she said.
Of the nearly 60 parents, coaches and others charged in the case, about a dozen are still fighting the allegations. The sentences for the parents who have pleaded so far in the case range from a couple weeks to nine months.
A CDC advisory committee as unanimously voted to recommend the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11. Dr. Amesh Adalja, Infectious Disease Specialist and Senior Scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, joined Cheddar News to discuss.
On this episode of ChedHER: Author of 'JUMP: Dare to Do What Scares You in Business and Life,' breaks down the different types of career 'jumps' out there, and keys to making a career change a success; Head of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs at JPMorgan Chase discusses how she's forging a path forward for the API community; CEO and Founder of Diversability explains how she's building up a global movement to rebrand disability through the power of community.
Cheddar sits down with Vivian Young, Head of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs at JPMorgan Chase, at JPMorgan Chase's Women on the Move Leadership Day to discuss her experience being the first person to hold this type of position at the firm, and how she's forging a path forward for the API community.
Cheddar sits down with Tiffany Yu, CEO and Founder of Diversability, at JPMorgan Chase's Women on the Move Leadership Day to discuss how she's building up a global movement to rebrand disability through the power of community.
Kim Perell, Author of 'JUMP: Dare to Do What Scares You in Business and Life,' joins ChedHER to discuss the different types of career 'jumps' out there, and the keys to making a career change a success.
A Freitag pod with Carlo and Baker, talking about the upcoming federal vax-or-test deadline, the most shocking upset of this week's elections, an incredible story of selflessness and Love, Hate, Ate.
The largest car search platform in India, Cardekho, recently raised $250 million in what the company calls a pre-IPO round led by leapfrog investments. The funding bumps CarDekho above unicorn status with a $1.2 billion valuation. The company currently has a catalogue of more than 3,000 pre-owned cars for online purchases and hopes to expand with the new funding. Partner and co-head of South Asian investment for LeapFrog Stewart Langdon joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Actor Jade Wu joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to discuss her role in the recently premiered film "Snakehead" and its depiction of organized crime in New York City's Chinatown. Wu also talked about the iconic place becoming its own character in the film and what it meant to shoot scenes on location. Discussing her career, she noted the significance of being part of a nearly all-Asian cast compared to often being the lone Asian actor on projects.
