Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli tried to hide college scam from guidance counselor: feds
Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli advised their YouTuber daughter to play it cool with her “nosey bastard” of a high school counselor — in order to keep their role in the college admissions scam under wraps, prosecutors alleged in new court documents.
Giannulli even confronted the counselor for telling an admissions official at the University of Southern California he doubted Olivia Jade was in crew, based on “her video blogging schedule,” according to a memo filed in federal court in Boston on Monday.
“Giannulli aggressively asked what [the counselor] was telling USC about his daughters and why [the counselor] was trying to ruin or get in the way of their opportunities,” the filing states. “Giannulli also bluntly stated that [his younger daughter] was a coxswain.”
The court document breaking down the case against the celebrity couple was filed by U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling ahead of the pair’s sentencing on Friday.
The former “Full House” star, 55, and her fashion designer husband, 56, in May agreed to cop to conspiracy charges for paying $500,000 to college fixer William “Rick” Singer in order to get their two daughters into USC as bogus rowing recruits.
“The crime Giannulli and Loughlin committed was serious,” prosecutors wrote. “Over the course of two years, they engaged twice in Singer’s fraudulent scheme.”
“They involved both their daughters in the fraud, directing them to pose in staged photographs for use in fake athletic profiles and instructing one daughter how to conceal the scheme from her high school counselor.”
The filing alleges that Olivia Jade, now 20, and her parents discussed in January 2018 how to avoid her high school adviser uncovering their scheme.
“When their daughter asked whether she should list USC as her top choice school, Loughlin replied: ‘Yes… But it might be a flag for the weasel to meddle,” referring to the counselor, the document states.
“Giannulli added: ‘F[***] him,’ and remarked that the counselor was a ‘nosey bastard,'” according to the filing, which added that Loughlin then told her daughter not to “say too much” to her adviser.
About two months later, Giannulli allegedly had the confrontation with the counselor over his blabbing to USC that he didn’t believe Olivia Jade was actually a rower.
Later that day, the counselor emailed Giannulli that he had advised USC that Olivia Jade “is truly a coxswain.” The dad, copying his wife, replied “Thank you very much,” before forwarding the email to Singer and noting “Here we go…,” the filing states.
The feds earlier this year also released photos they say the couple used to scam their daughters’ way into USC. The pics show Olivia Jade and her older sister Isabella Rose seated on rowing machines in workout clothes, their faces blurred. Giannulli emailed the photos to Singer, prosecutors said.
The couple had vowed to fight the charges, saying they believed the money was a legitimate donation to Singer.
Under their plea agreements, Loughlin is expected to be sentenced to two months in prison, while her husband will get five months behind bars.
The actress will also perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $150,000 fine. Giannulli will pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service.
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