Lori Loughlin Is ‘Screwed’ Says Attorney Representing 3 Other Parents Charged In College Admissions Scandal
Actress Lori Loughlin “screwed” herself when she did not accept a plea deal for her involvement in the college admissions scandal.
At least that’s how one lawyer close to the case sees it. Larry Levine, an advisor to three other parents charged in the scandal, said in an interview with The Mercury News that Loughlin was “living in a dream world,” adding that she “doesn’t have a grasp on the reality about how these federal prosecutions work.”
“She had a grand opportunity to take the plea deal,” Levine said, explaining that when Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, reportedly refused to take a deal, they were slapped with even more serious fraud and money laundering charges.
Levine said that the couple’s reluctance to accept responsibility would “come into play at sentencing, you bet.”
“They’ve got enough to convict you,” Levine said, pointing out that he thought Loughlin “screwed” herself by thinking she could convince a judge and jury that she did not believe she did anything wrong when she allegedly paid $500,000 to get her daughters admitted to University of Southern California.
Lori Loughlin missed 'grand opportunity' by not taking plea deal, expert says https://t.co/9s1DRNPTyG via @mercnews
— Corteehannibal (@corteehannibal) July 5, 2019
Loughlin and Giannulli were among dozens of parents charged in March by the U.S. Justice Department for their participation in the scandal. Loughlin has reportedly maintained her innocence and has allegedly said that she looked forward to her day in court so she could explain her side of the story.
Levine isn’t the only one who thinks that Loughlin made a mistake when she didn’t accept a plea deal. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said that parents who claimed that they did not know their payments were bribes was “weak” and “completely contradicts the evidence in the case,” per The Mercury News.
What makes the case so complicated is the fact that not all parents charged are claiming innocence. Actress Felicity Huffman also faced charges for allegedly paying $15,000 to get her daughter’s SAT scores changed. She pleaded guilty in hopes that she would receive a lighter sentence. She may have made a wise choice because prosecutors are suggesting she serve four to 10 months in prison, The Mercury News reported.
Furthermore, prosecutors have asked that insurance executive Toby MacFarlane serve 15 months for allegedly paying $450,000 to get his children admitted to USC. Experts close to the case said that MacFarlane’s alleged crimes are similar to Loughlin’s. The Mercury News reported that MacFarlane faced the same fraud charges that Loughlin and Giannulli initially faced.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Loughlin has been second-guessing her plea as she watches other cases play out.
The actress and her husband are expected to appear in court in early October.
