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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Lori Loughlin Faces Joint Trial With Fellow Parents in Admissions Scandal

“Full House” actress Lori Loughlin will likely face a joint trial with all of the other parents implicated in the college admissions scandal, a federal judge said Wednesday.

BOSTON (CN) – “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin will likely face a joint trial with all of the other parents implicated in the college admissions scandal, a federal judge said Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton offered the prediction at a conference where attorneys representing the 19 parents described their efforts in wading through more than 3 million pages of documents that have come out during discovery.

None of the defendants, all of whom pleaded not guilty back in May, were required to appear in court.

The group were part of a much larger group swept up as part of the FBI’s Operation Varsity Blues, which uncovered a scheme by which wealthy parents paid to get their kids into college through SAT score tampering and by exploiting the academically lax admissions process for student athletes.

Loughlin, and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying $500,000 to get their daughters labeled a recruit for the University of Southern California crew team.

Former "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty in May to similar charges. On Sept. 13, Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison, a year of probation, 250 hours of community service and a $30,000 fine. 

Gorton said he expects the remaining  parents in the indictment to face trial together, kicking off next year.

The defendants’ next hearing will take place in January 2020.

Categories / Criminal, Education, Entertainment, Trials

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