“Full House” actress Lori Loughlin has been released from prison after serving two months for her participation in the college admissions scandal, a.k.a. “Operation Varsity Blues.”
According to Fox News, a spokesperson from the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Dublin, California, confirmed Loughlin’s release on Monday. She was originally given a release date of December 27, which, due to a U.S. Department of Justice stipulation that inmates who are scheduled to be released on a weekend instead be released just before the Christmas holiday. Loughlin, however, was not released in time to celebrate Christmas with her family and was instead scheduled for release Monday.
Loughlin was housed in the low-security federal prison that held actress Felicity Huffman for similar crimes.
Earlier this year, Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Gianulli, entered not guilty pleas after being charged with mail fraud and money laundering conspiracy in the infamous college bribery scam. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston charged them with “conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering in connection with a scheme to use bribery to cheat on college entrance exams and to facilitate their children’s admission to selective colleges and universities as purported athletic recruits.” Loughlin and Giannulli worked in concert with William “Rick” Singer to bribe college officials and rig the entrance exams so that their daughters could be accepted into elite universities.
After fighting and maintaining their innocence for close to a year, Loughlin and her husband accepted a plea deal requiring her to pay $150,000 and serve two months in prison. Giannulli was fined $250,000 and sentenced to five months in prison. The former “Full House” actress will now undergo a two-year supervised release and perform 100 hours of community service.
A source close to Loughlin confirmed that she had a “tearful” reunion with her two daughters upon release. From PEOPLE:
“It’s the end of a very long ordeal,” says the source.
Having completed her prison sentence for her involvement in the nationwide college admissions scandal, a second insider says that Loughlin, 56, “seems beyond relieved that she can put her prison sentence behind her.”
“It’s the most stressful thing she has ever dealt with. She plans on spending New Year’s with Olivia and Bella,” says the insider.
Now reunited with their children, Loughlin is looking forward to having Mossimo, 57, home once his prison sentence concludes.
“She is still worried about Mossimo though, and can’t wait to have him home,” the insider adds.
Loughlin’s daughter, Olivia Jade, recently appeared on “Red Table Talk” where she said that what her parents did was wrong and made no excuses for them.
“I think that what hasn’t been super public is that there is no justifying or excusing what happened because what happened was wrong,” Olivia said. “And I think every single person in my family can be like, ‘That was messed up. That was a big mistake.’ But I think what’s so important to me is to learn from the mistake, not to now be shamed and punished and never given a second chance because I’m 21. I feel like I deserve a second chance to redeem myself, to show I’ve grown.”
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