The two most famous individuals charged in last month’s massive college cheating scheme were in federal court Wednesday for their first appearances since their arrests.
“Full House” star Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman of the show “Desperate Housewives” were in Boston federal court for their initial appearance. Neither Loughlin nor Huffman entered pleas. Neither actor said much during Wednesday’s appearance outside of responding to the standard yes-and-no questions asked by the judge.
Outside of the courthouse, Loughlin was met by a gaggle of supporters who were cheering for her, while a few hurled insults at the actress. One woman shouted, “Pay for my tuition, Lori!” as she entered court.
“Pay for my tuition, Lori!”
Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli arrive at a courthouse in Boston to face charges for alleged role in a college bribery scandal. Some onlookers cheered as she walked out. https://t.co/kwSXHydcsU pic.twitter.com/gPXvNBW3Vl
— ABC News (@ABC) April 3, 2019
Loughlin and Huffman won’t enter pleas until they are formally indicted by a federal grand jury. Both were arrested last month on mail fraud charges for allegedly paying bribes to get their children into prestigious universities. Loughlin was released on $1 million bail and Huffman was released on $250,000 bail.
Federal authorities described the college admissions scandal as the largest it has ever prosecuted, with almost three dozen parents charged for participating. Prosecutors allege the parents paid $25 million total in bribes to get their children into schools like Yale, Georgetown, Stanford, and UCLA. Many of the students were listed as athletic team recruits as a reason for their admittance.
Loughlin is alleged to have paid $500,000 to have her two daughters admitted as part of UCLA’s crew team, despite neither having rowed competitively before.
Individuals on the other side of the scandal were also charged, like former first lady Michelle Obama’s tennis instructor Gordon Ernst, 52, who allegedly placed up to a dozen students on Georgetown’s tennis team when he was working there as a tennis coach.
Yale announced last week that it had rescinded an admissions offer because of the scandal and was conducting an internal investigation into the matter.
The mastermind behind the multi-year scheme was William “Rick” Singer, 58, who ran bribe money through a nonprofit organization called the Key Worldwide Foundation. In addition to facilitating bribes for students to get placed on athletic teams, he also helped students gain entrance to colleges by gaming the standardized testing process.
Singer pleaded guilty to money laundering, tax evasion, racketeering, and obstruction of justice charges on March 12 and faced up to 65 years in prison.
The Justice Department believes most of the students involved were not complicit in their parents’ alleged crimes. The Education Department has also opened an investigation into colleges that were involved in the scheme.
