As the college admissions scandal continues to intensify forLori Loughlinand her husband, fashion designerMossimo Giannulli, a source says theFull Housestar iscracking under the pressure.
“It’s getting harder and harder for her to keep it together,” says a Loughlin source. “This stress is about to break them.”
Prior to thenew charges, Loughlin and Giannulli both already faced charges of money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud. They previously faced up to 40 years in prison and have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Loughlin is adamant that the allegations against her aren’t true. “Does she regret not taking the deal? Of course she does, because it would have been easier,” says the source.
On March 12, the U.S. attorney’s office in Massachusetts indicted Loughlin and Giannulli in the shocking nationwide scam as part of an investigation dubbed Operation Varsity Blues.Nearly 50 other parents, coaches, exam proctors and admissions counselors are accused of actions such as paying for boosted SAT scores and lying about students’ athletic skills in order to gain them acceptance to elite colleges including Yale, Georgetown, USC and Stanford.
Loughlin and Giannulli allegedly paid $500,000 to admissions consultant William Singer to falsely designate daughtersOlivia Jade Giannulli, 20, andIsabella Rose Giannulli, 21, as recruits to the USC crew team, though neither actuallyparticipated in the sport. (TheUSC Registrar has since confirmedthat “Olivia Jade GiannulliandIsabella Rose Giannulliare not currently enrolled” at the university.)
John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty
As Loughlin’s future remains unknown, maintaining her innocence is taking its toll. “It’s remarkable to watch sometimes,” says the source.
“Lori will have moments where she breaks down because this is all so much. But then something changes. You can watch her clench her jaw, and her eyes change, and it’s like, ‘Okay. Let’s do this.’ She is a fighter. She maintains that she did nothing wrong, and if they are going to lock her up, they need to lock up everyone who has donated a library to a college so their kid will get in,” the source shares. “She realizes that her only hope is to beat this in court.”
source: people.com
