After holding out in hopes she may be able to beat the rap, actress Lori Loughlin is now reportedly seeking to get a plea deal similar to the one that Felicity Huffman received over her involvement in the college admissions scandal.
According to TMZ, Lori Loughlin may not be going to trial, with sources close to the situation confirming that an opportunity has opened up for her to reach a plea deal in order to obtain a light sentence.
“Multiple sources involved in the various college admissions cases say Lori’s big break came with the probation department’s sentencing report for Felicity, specifically, the part where the dept. says no one suffered a loss as a result of the actress’s conduct,” reported TMZ. “Prosecutors argued someone who took the SAT was probably denied admission somewhere because Felicity’s daughter scored higher than she should have because of a rigged test. Probation said … not the case.”
Basically, the sources with U.S. Attorney expressed worry to TMZ that prosecutors would go through a lengthy trial of Loughlin and her husband only to have them be recommended to a few simple weeks in prison. This is compounded by the fact that Felicity Huffman earned just 14 days in prison against prosecutors’ wishes for a one-year prison term.
“Prosecutors, we’re told, are worried it will become an embarrassment for the office if Lori goes to trial, gets convicted and gets a short sentence,” TMZ continued. “And remember, Felicity rigged an SAT test that potentially affects every applicant. With Lori, even though she paid way more ($500,000), the bribe didn’t really affect anyone else.”
This past April, Loughlin and her husband waived their right to appear in court for an arraignment and simply pleaded not guilty against charges of mail fraud and money laundering conspiracy in the 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 allegedly worked in concert with William “Rick” Singer to bribe college officials and rig the entrance exams so that their children could be accepted into elite universities. If convicted to the fullest extent of the law, the pair could face up to 40 years in prison.
Following Huffman’s light sentence, a source close to Loughlin and her husband said she regrets not taking the initial plea deal.
“Lori is aware of Felicity’s sentence and is processing what that means for her,” the source said. “Her only move now is to take this to court and to prove that she is not guilty of what she’s charged with.”
“This has been a rough day,” the source continued. “Lori is going to move forward as best as she can, but now she has a little more clarity about what will happen next.”
The source also said that even though Loughlin now regrets not taking the plea deal, she still believes that she did nothing illegal in the first place.
“If she’s found guilty, she will go to jail; that is clear. And if another deal is offered to her, which I don’t think it will be, she will go to jail,” the source said. “Her only chance of avoiding jail is to beat these charges. Lori is a smart woman; she understands that. She’s scared and upset, but she’s resolved to be strong and to fight this. She will do what she has to do to protect herself and her family.”