Here's What We Know About Lori Loughlin And Mossimo Giannulli's Guilty Plea

More than a year after the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal made headlines, actress Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in regard to their part in the widespread scam, per the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Massachusetts. 

In 2019, prosecutors accused the Full House star and her husband of paying $500,000 total to get their two daughters — Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade – into the University of Southern California as faux crew team recruits, per The Washington Post. The pair will enter their guilty plea via video conference on May 22, 2020.

Per the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Massachusetts' news release, "Loughlin will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, while Giannulli will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud."

"Under the plea agreements filed today, these defendants will serve prison terms reflecting their respective roles in a conspiracy to corrupt the college admissions process and which are consistent with prior sentences in this case," United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling said. "We will continue to pursue accountability for undermining the integrity of college admissions."

Loughlin and Giannulli are the 23rd and 24th parents to plead guilty in the case against mastermind Rick Singer, who orchestrated the scheme by arranging prospects' acceptance in exchange for bribes. While Loughlin and Giannulli initially fought for their exoneration, the two now face jail time, community service, and fines.

Prior to their guilty pleas, both Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli faced up to "50 years each and millions of dollars in fines if found guilty," per Deadline. However, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Massachusetts' release, both parties have now "agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in connection with securing the fraudulent admission of their two children to the University of Southern California as purported athletic recruits."

In accordance with this plea, Loughlin agreed to two months in prison, a $150,000 fine, and two years of supervised release with 100 hours of community service, while Giannulli agreed to five months in prison, a $250,000 fine and two years of supervised release with 250 hours of community service. 

While both of their sentences are still pending court approval, according to ABC News, the plea agreement features a provision "to wait at least 90 days after the judge imposes their sentence before they are sent to prison."

That being said, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Loughlin and Giannulli might not have to spend any time behind bars at all. Those states hit hardest by the outbreak — including California — "are considering ways to reduce the number of incoming prisoners wherever possible, particularly for nonviolent offenders," one legal source told People. 

We'll see how Covid-19 impacts their fate. 

In early May 2020, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli faced an unfortunate setback when Loughlin and 13 other defendants filed a collection of motions to dismiss the charges against them in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal, per CNN. One memo argued that charges should be dismissed because the venue was chosen to "accommodate the government's venue preferences." 

Loughlin and Giannulli filed one specific motion, which argued that they "shouldn't be charged with honest services fraud because they didn't knowingly participate in a quid pro quo with the University of Southern California." Instead, their attorneys claimed that the pair thought they were making a legitimate donation and they "had no knowledge that the checks they wrote would personally benefit the involved administrators." 

However, after all motions to dismiss were considered, U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton denied said requests, which might've motivated the couple to enter their guilty plea.

"The family is constantly stressed and there are a lot of ups and downs," an insider told E! News. "They try to stay positive but it's a cloud over their head at all times." Another source told People "previous offers they've gotten have had jail times of up to 18 months, and that wasn't going to work for them."

Perhaps Loughlin and Giannulli's guilty pleas — and inevitable sentences — will enable the couple and their daughters to finally move forward.