Actress Lori Loughlin and her clothing designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have turned heads
yet again following their alleged involvement in the college admissions bribery scandal.
On Monday, April 15th, 2019, both parties entered not guilty pleas to their charges
in federal court documents filed in Boston.
While anyone charged with an alleged crime is, of course, innocent until proven guilty,
a number of social media users quickly took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the
matter.
One person tweeted,
"She must believe in the 'celebrity defense' which has proven a great defense for many
celebrities."
While referring to Loughlin's most famous character on Full and Fuller House, they added,
"She must believe a jury will see an innocent Aunt Becky and not a guilty Lori Loughlin."
Meanwhile, another Twitter user shared,
"I guess she thinks she'll look good in one of those jumpsuits."
And one user went right for the jugular, tweeting,
"It blows my mind how stupid lori loughlin is."
Loughlin and Giannulli have faced growing pressure in the public eye to plead guilty
over the last week.
The pair were among dozens of other parents accused of bribing their children's ways into
elite schools in mid-March 2019.
For their part, they allegedly paid $500,000 for daughters Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade
to be accepted as crew team recruits at the University of Southern California.
At the time, Loughlin and Giannulli were charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest
services mail fraud, and faced up to 20 years in prison.
However, they were both indicted with a conspiracy to commit money laundering charge just last
week, which carries another maximum two-decade sentence.
The additional charge followed reports that Loughlin had turned down a plea deal, further
fueling public criticism.
According to a source cited by E! News at the time,
"She has been in complete denial and thought maybe she could skate by.
She refused to accept any jail time and thought the DA was bluffing.
She was adamant she wouldn't do any jail time."
More recently, an insider addressed Loughlin's apparent reluctance to enter a guilty plea,
telling People magazine on Friday, April 12th,
"She is very concerned about what a guilty plea would do to her daughters, who may not
have grasped everything that was going on.
Yes, she can think about the public perception of her, but that's nothing compared to what
her daughters think of her.
So that is something that has understandably made her less likely to enter a plea."
Meanwhile, it's impossible to not compare Loughlin's legal plight with that of actress
Felicity Huffman, who's the other famous face implicated in the college admissions scandal.
"It's the worst thing Felicity Huffman's ever done, and the second worst thing Lori Loughlin
has."
The Desperate Housewives alum was accused of bribing an exam proctor $15,000 to correct
answers on her 18-year-old daughter Sophia Grace's SAT.
After being charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud,
Huffman made headlines when she entered a guilty plea on Monday, April 8th, writing
in a statement,
"I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have
done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that
stem from those actions.
My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty."
Noting the media circus surrounding the two actresses, one person recently tweeted,
"Felicity Huffman is damn lucky that Lori Loughlin exists!"
Meanwhile, another Twitter user wrote,
"Yo, who is advising Lori Loughlin?
What in the hell?
Even the man who masterminded the whole thing plead guilty."
This last tweet was in reference to California businessman William Rick Singer, who allegedly
founded the fraudulent non-profit organization around which the elaborate cheating scheme
centered, and has since pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, money
laundering, tax conspiracy, and obstruction of justice.
Elsewhere in the Lori Loughlin news sphere, the actress was spoofed on Saturday Night
Live on April 13th.
Comedian Kate McKinnon portrayed an incarcerated Loughlin during a sketch, in which her fellow
inmates compared their respective alleged crimes.
"You think that's insane?
I paid $500,000 to get my daughter into USC."
Meanwhile, the Hallmark Channel officially renewed When Calls the Heart on April 14th.
The news comes weeks after it was announced that the show would move forward without Loughlin,
who'd starred as widow Abigail Stanton, in the cast.
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