Mossimo Giannulli follows wife Lori Loughlin to prison in college admissions scandal
BOSTON — Fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli reported to prison on Thursday to begin serving his five-month sentence for bribing his daughters’ way into college, officials said.
Giannulli’s wife, actress Lori Loughlin, is already behind bars for her role in the college admissions bribery scheme involving prominent parents and elite schools across the country. She began her two-month prison term late last month.
Giannulli, 57, whose Mossimo clothing had long been a Target brand until recently, is in custody at a federal prison in Lompoc, a Bureau of Prisons representative said. Loughlin, 56, is at the federal lockup in Dublin.
The couple are among the most high-profile parents charged in the scheme, which involved the payment of hefty bribes to get undeserving teens into schools with rigged test scores or bogus athletic credentials, authorities say.
Giannulli and Loughlin admitted in May to paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into USC as crew recruits even though neither girl was a rower. Their guilty pleas were a stunning reversal for the couple, whose lawyers had insisted for a year that they were innocent and accused investigators of fabricating evidence against them.
Loughlin was sentenced to two months behind bars — after her husband was handed a five-month term — for paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters admitted to USC.
Loughlin and Giannulli were initially both ordered to report to prison Thursday, but prosecutors and the defense agreed Loughlin could begin her sentence on Oct. 30. Loughlin agreed that she would not seek early release from prison on grounds related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Loughlin was also ordered to pay a $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service, and Giannulli has to pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service.
Prosecutors introduced evidence including recorded phone calls and emails showing the couple worked with the mastermind of the scheme, admissions consultant Rick Singer, to get their daughters into USC with fake athletic profiles.
Nearly 60 people have been charged in the scheme led by Singer, who secretly worked with investigators and recorded his conversations with parents and coaches to help build the case against them. Singer, who is expected to testify against any defendants who go to trial, has not yet been sentenced. More than 40 people have already pleaded guilty.
Prison terms for the parents involved in the scheme have ranged from a couple of weeks to nine months. Other parents who’ve served time behind bars in the case include actress Felicity Huffman, who was sentenced to 14 days for paying $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT score.
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