“Full House” star Lori Loughlin is said to be “freaking out” and resigned to imprisonment after being charged in the college admissions scandal.
“Lori is finally realizing just how serious this is,” a source told E! News. “She is seeing the light that she will do jail time and is freaking out.”
Loughlin, 54, and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, 55, were arrested last month for allegedly spending $500,000 to bribe their two daughters into the University of California, Los Angeles. Since then, she has been dropped by Hallmark and is said to be experiencing marital difficulties.
“There’s a rift between Lori and Mossimo,” the source said. “He is completely mortified by this whole thing and she is putting on a happy face and acting like everything will be OK.” The sources added: “They are blaming each other and disagreeing on things. They are starting to turn on each other and there is incredible stress and tension.”
A confidante of the couple told People they were being dropped by friends. “Lori and Mossimo are finding out quickly who their real friends are. It’s not like they are the victims of a crime. They are the crime. Many of their friends don’t want to be associated with them right now.”
Dozens of parents were caught up in the massive admissions scandal and accused of paying bribes to have their children fraudulently put onto school sports teams to gain entrance into elite colleges and universities.
Among others charged were “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman. Huffman and 13 other parents pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges in federal court Monday. According to the E! News source, Loughlin is upset she did not accept a plea deal and is now worried about the implications of what not accepting the deal might bring.
The scheme has been described by the Justice Department as the largest college admissions scandal it has ever prosecuted, with an estimated total of $25 million in bribes paid by the parents involved. Loughlin was released on $1 million bond and appeared for the first time last week in Boston federal court.
The Education Department has opened a separate investigation into the colleges involved in the scandal. Despite the Justice Department saying most of the students involved were unaware of their parents’ crimes, Yale University rescinded its first admissions offer tied to the scheme last month.
Loughlin faces up to 40 years in prison if found guilty of all charges.
