Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin, and Loughlin’s husband Mossimo Giannulli are among over a dozen people appearing before a Boston federal court on Wednesday to be formally indicted in the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scam. The defendants are being charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud for their part in the illegal ring, and prosecutors are apparently not going to make every effort that they don’t get off the hook with a slap on the wrists.
According to anonymous law enforcement officials who spoke with TMZ, it’s “likely” plea deal discussions will begin today — however any bargain will come with prosecutor recommendations that the actresses serve jail time. “You can’t have people being treated differently because they have money,” the source reportedly stated. That’s how we got to this place. Every defendant will be treated the same.”
Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of shelling out $500,000 to get their daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose to Operation Varsity Blues ringleader Rick Singer to get into the University of Southern California by faking their participation in crew, whereas Huffman is accused of paying Singer $15,000 to raise the score on her daughter’s SAT test.
The actresses face a maximum of five years in prison if convicted of the charges. Huffman’s husband William H. Macy has not been charged in the case, and the scandal is reportedly taking a toll on their marriage.
