Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli are “more steadfast than ever that they did nothing illegal” as their trail in the college admissions scandal case approaches, a source revealed to Us Weekly.
Want the Top 5 news stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox before you even wake up? Sign up for the Fame10 Top 5 newsletter and receive 5 breaking news stories every morning!
“Lori’s lawyers feel they have a very strong chance of having the charges dismissed because prosecutors withheld key evidence that [ringleader] Rick Singer was pressured by the FBI to lie in the course of his conversations with Lori,” the source told the outlet. “It was entrapment, misleading a defendant so that Rick could get a favorable sentence for his role. Rick was the mastermind in all of this.”
Last March, Loughlin and Mossimo were indicted of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their two daughters, 20-year-old Olivia Jade and 21-year-old Isabella, admitted to USC as recruits for the crew team (even though they have never participated in the sport) as part of an alleged college admissions scam. Loughlin and Giannulli have pleaded not guilty to the charges in the college admissions scandal.
“Lori’s team is asking that the charges be dismissed entirely or for the recorded telephone conversations to be suppressed, meaning, the jury can’t hear it,” the source told Us Weekly. “If the judge doesn’t dismiss or suppress the phone conversations, Lori’s lawyers will grill Rick Singer on the stand. Singer could actually become a witness for the defense even though he has been cooperating with the feds.”
The source also added that the couple’s legal team want the charges dropped, but are ready to fight if the trial, which is scheduled for October, goes on as planned.
“Prosecutors are compelled to call Singer to the stand, and if they don’t, Lori’s team will,” the source said. “Expect the FBI agents that also worked the case that Rick mentions will also be subjected to increased scrutiny by Lori’s defense team.”
Singer, who allegedly collected $25 million from parents over the years for his fake charity, pleaded guilty last March to the federal charges against him. According to CNN, Singer has yet to be sentenced, but faces up to 65 years in prison.
Brittany R
Brittany is a writer who is obsessed with rom-com movies, Gossip Girl, reality television, fashion, and pop-culture. When she isn't reporting on the latest celeb buzz, she is filling up her online shopping cart without checking out.
