Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s daughters could be charged in connection with their parents’ role in the college admissions scandal, according to a legal expert.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said in a new interview that as prosecutors turn up the pressure on those who didn’t accept a plea deal like Felicity Huffman, Loughlin’s kids may find themselves in their legal crosshairs.
“At a minimum, the daughters will be witnesses in a trial against their parents, but they could also be charged as defendants,” Rahmani told People.
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“The government has made it clear that they are going to keep increasing pressure on both Lori and Mossimo,” Rahmani added. “By not pleading, Lori and Mossimo are exposing their children to being charged.”
Lori Loughlin’s daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose may be in similar legal trouble as their parents continue to fight the charges against them in the college admissions scandal.
(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
The outlet also spoke with a source close to the family who insisted that if Loughlin thought there was any risk to her girls, she would plead guilty and accept prison time rather than allow this scandal to upend 20-year-old Olivia Jade and 21-year-old Isabella Rose’s lives any more than it already has.
Fox News learned last week that the girls are no longer enrolled at the University of Southern California after their initial admission was called into question when the scandal was revealed.
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Giannulli, 56, and Loughlin, 55, are accused of arranging a total collective payment of $500,000 to scam mastermind William “Rick” Singer to get their daughters recruited to USC as athletes on the crew team, despite never rowing in the sport.
Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli are fighting the charges against them in the college admissions scandal.
(Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Last week, the Justice Department announced that the couple, along with nine other parents, were indicted on federal charges related to bribery. A grand jury in Boston indicted the parents on charges of trying to bribe officials at an organization that receives at least $10,000 in federal funding. In this case, they’re accused of paying to get their children admitted to the University of Southern California. All 11 defendants pleaded not guilty to other charges in the scheme.
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The charge of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The couple was previously hit with additional charges of money laundering and conspiracy that could land them behind bars for 40 years if convicted on all of them. Prosecutors are pressuring those who have pleaded not guilty in the college admissions scandal to acknowledge their guilt.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
