Lori Loughlin Allegedly Wants To Stand Trial Because It Is The Only Way She Can Avoid Jail
Actress Lori Loughlin reportedly wants to face a trial because she thinks it is the only way for her to avoid jail time, a source told PEOPLE.
“Lori feels like so much damage has been done publicly that the only way for her to counter it is to fight this case in court,” the source said.
The source also said that Loughlin believed that a jury would understand how things happened once all of the evidence was presented in court.
“She doesn’t want to spend time in jail,” the source said, “but she knows that any sort of plea or conviction at this point will include jail time. Her only chance of avoiding jail is to go to court and be found not guilty.”
Prosecutors have alleged that Loughlin and her designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, paid $500,000 to get their daughters into the University of Southern California. Because the couple pleaded not guilty to conspiracy fraud charges in early court filings, they were indicted with the additional charges of money laundering.
The probably of jail time is real, according to New York attorney William Moran. Moran told PEOPLE that Loughlin and the others parents charged are being prosecuted rigorously and that they could likely go to prison. He also said that prosecutors wanted to make an example of them so other parents won’t be tempted to do something similar in the future.
Since jail time is such a reality, Loughlin apparently wants to make her case in court. The source told PEOPLE that there is “a lot more evidence” than what the media knows and is reporting on, adding that when all of the evidence is viewed in context, the case could be made that Loughlin did not understand what she was doing.
Lori Loughlin Wants to Face Trial to Save Reputation: 'Only Chance of Avoiding Jail,' Says Source https://t.co/gGlCHByr2c
— People (@people) April 29, 2019
“When the evidence comes out, she’ll have a case to make,” the source told PEOPLE.
“At this point, if she pleads guilty, she feels like the mitigating evidence will never see the light of day,” the source said.
The source also said that the Full House actress was being counseled by a man who knew what exactly he was doing — referring to William Singer, who was allegedly behind the scam.
Singer pleaded guilty in federal court to running the nationwide college admissions scheme. He reportedly received about $25 million from wealthy parents from all over the world who paid to get their children admitted to elite colleges, CBSLA reported.
