Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Designer Mossimo Begins California Prison Term in College Bribery Case
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
November 19, 2020

Share

BOSTON — Fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli reported to prison on Thursday to begin serving his five-month sentence for bribing his daughters’ way into college, officials said.

Giannulli’s wife, “Full House” actor Lori Loughlin, is already behind bars for her role in the college admissions bribery scheme involving prominent parents and elite schools across the country. She began her two-month prison term late last month.

Giannulli, 57, whose Mossimo clothing had long been a Target brand until recently, is in custody at a federal prison in Lompoc near Santa Barbara, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said. Loughlin, 56, is at the federal lockup in Dublin, California.

The couple was among the most high-profile parents charged in the scheme, involved hefty bribes to get undeserving teens into schools with rigged test scores or bogus athletic credentials, authorities say.

Giannulli and Loughlin admitted in May to paying half a million dollars 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.

Loughlin and Giannulli were initially both ordered to report to prison on Nov. 19 but prosecutors and the defense agreed Loughlin could begin her sentence on Oct. 30. Loughlin agreed that she would not seek early release from prison on grounds related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Loughlin was also ordered to pay a $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service, and Giannulli has to pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service.

Prosecutors recorded phone calls and emails showing the couple worked with the mastermind of the scheme, admissions consultant Rick Singer, to get their daughters into USC with fake athletic profiles depicting them as star rowers. “Fantastic. Will get all,” Giannulli responded and sent Singer the photo, according to the court filings.

Nearly sixty people have been charged in the scheme led by Singer, who secretly worked with investigators and recorded his conversations with parents and coaches to help build the case against them. Singer, who is expected to testify against any defendants who go to trial, has not yet been sentenced. More than 40 people have already pleaded guilty.

Prison terms for the parents ensnared in the scheme range from nine months to a couple weeks. Other parents who’ve served time behind bars in the case include “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman, who was sentenced to 14 days for paying $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT score.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

$165 Billion Revenue Error Continues to Haunt California’s Budget

DON'T MISS

California’s Water Crisis Deepens as San Joaquin Valley Sinks

DON'T MISS

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

DON'T MISS

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

DON'T MISS

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

DON'T MISS

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

DON'T MISS

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

DON'T MISS

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

DON'T MISS

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

DON'T MISS

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

UP NEXT

Bomb Cyclone Kills 1 and Knocks Out Power to Over Half a Million Homes Across the Northwest US

UP NEXT

Volunteers Came Back to Nonprofits in 2023, After the Pandemic Tanked Participation

UP NEXT

New Study: Proposed Trump Tariffs Could Cost US Consumers $78 Billion a Year

UP NEXT

Riders Stuck in Midair for Over 2 Hours on Knott’s Berry Farm Ride

UP NEXT

Shouting Racial Slurs, Neo-Nazi Marchers Shock Ohio’s Capital

UP NEXT

More Logging Is Proposed to Help Curb Wildfires in the US Pacific Northwest

UP NEXT

Scientists Fear What’s Next for Public Health if RFK Jr. Is Allowed To ‘Go Wild’

UP NEXT

Warren Slams Biden Admin for Failing to Hold Israel Accountable on Gaza Aid

UP NEXT

Suicides in the US Military Increased in 2023, Continuing a Long-Term Trend

UP NEXT

New FDA Rules for TV Drug Ads: Simpler Language and No Distractions

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

13 hours ago

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

13 hours ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

14 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

14 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

15 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

15 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

15 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

16 hours ago

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

16 hours ago

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

16 hours ago

$165 Billion Revenue Error Continues to Haunt California’s Budget

History will — or at least should — see a $165 billion error in revenue estimates as one of California’s most boneheaded political act...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

$165 Billion Revenue Error Continues to Haunt California’s Budget

Photo of Friant-Kern Canal
3 hours ago

California’s Water Crisis Deepens as San Joaquin Valley Sinks

12 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

13 hours ago

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

13 hours ago

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

14 hours ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

President Joe Biden with Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to erase the Biden administration’s tailpipe rules designed to get carmakers to produce electric vehicles, but most U.S. automakers want to keep them. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
14 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

15 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend