Lori Loughlin has formally entered her guilty plea in the ongoing college admissions case.
On Friday, the Full House star and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, had a virtual change of plea hearing, during which she entered her guilty plea via Zoom video conference amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Giannulli pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud.
This news comes one day after it was revealed that Loughlin and Giannulli had agreed to plead guilty in the case. The U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed on Thursday that Loughlin and Giannulli had agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in connection with securing the fraudulent admission of their two children, Olivia Jade and Bella Giannulli, to the University of Southern California as purported athletic recruits.
In Thursday's press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, it was stated that under the terms of Loughlin's plea agreement, "The parties have agreed to a sentence, subject to the Court's approval, of two months in prison, a $150,000 fine and two years of supervised release with 100 hours of community service."
And, under the terms of Giannulli's plea agreement, "The parties have agreed to a sentence, subject to the Court's approval, of five months in prison, a $250,000 fine and two years of supervised release with 250 hours of community service."
The court will now consider the agreements and inform the defendants of its decision at that time. On Friday, an August 21 sentencing date was suggested by the judge. Giannulli's attorney then requested for a sentencing date of July 30, a month earlier than a judge initially set. The judge said he would take it under advisement but for now is setting the date as August 21.
As for why the earlier date, Giannulli's attorney explained, "We request July 30th for a few reasons. This is a plea, I think that's relevant for a slightly earlier sentence. Your honor will not accept or reject the plea until the report is created. Our clients would like to have finality on this process. Also relevant because there will not be contested sentencing issues that sometimes causes a delay on the pre-sentence report."
As for why the couple decided to plead guilty, a source close to Loughlin shared with E! News, "They are ready for it to be over with and to get on with their lives."
"This has ruled their lives and has been hanging over their heads for so long, it has really taken its toll," the insider continued. "They were feeling very concerned about the virus and jail sentences and they are hopeful the court will sentence them appropriately. They want to put this behind them and move on."
"They didn't want to endure the stress of a trial and continue dealing with this on a daily basis. It's time to move on and start over again," the source added. "They don't know if the judge will sign off or delay their jail time. But they are hopeful and they know there is a chance they will start their sentences and be able to serve at home. They are waiting to find out."